Interpretatio Naturae, seu Philosophia Newtoniana Methodo Exposita,

rare

First edition of this defense of Copernicanism and Newtonian empiricism by the Jesuit philosopher and professor of canon law Jacob Zallinger (1735-1813). Uncommon in commerce, and with WorldCat locating only a small number of copies, primarily in German institutions.

Zallinger 'was a prolific author' whose 'writings combined elements of philosophy, natural science and canon law... His most significant work is his philosophy according to Newton's method, the Interpretatio Naturae' in which he defends the Copernican account of the solar system and also the empiricism of Newton against the scholastic method of deductive reasoning' (The Bloomsbury Dictionary of 18th Century Philosophers). The Catholic Church had stopped adding heliocentric books to the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1758, just a few years before this work was published, but Copernicus and Galileo would not be officially rehabilitated until 1820.

First edition; 3 volumes 8vo (19 x 11.5 cm); vignette title pages, typographic ornaments throughout, 8 folding plates in volume II, 3 folding plates in volume III, ownership ink stamp to titles, light spotting and occasional marks to text, some creasing and short closed tears to the plates; recently rebound to style in sprinkled half calf, marbled boards, red morocco labels, red speckled edges, new endpapers and blanks, very good condition; 454, 449, & 443 pp.