Examen de l'examen des esprits
Paris: M. Soly, 1631. First edition of an early critical study of Juan Huarte's Examen de ingenios (1575), which Garrison and Morton describes as "the first attempt to show the connexion between psychology and physiology." Title printed in black and red, with a large copper-engraved printer's device. With the large engraved bookplate of William Arthur, Sixth Duke of Portland. Contemporary vellum with yapp edges, brown leather spine labels. Octavo. . [24], 813 [55] pp. Item #16433
Huarte's work deals with the nature of genius and the creative capacity of the human mind. Huarte also addresses the problem of matching individuals with their most suitable professions, his thesis being that talents and interests displayed in childhood foreshadow adult competencies, and that books, expert teachers, and extensive training cannot be expected to fit a man for a trade that does not suit his innate genius. Huarte's work was very popular, going through some 70 editions in seven different languages before 1700. Guibelet, whose exact dates are unknown, was a physician from Evreux. Besides the present work, he is also known for his Trois discours philosophiques (1603), which dealt with man as a microcosm, the principle of human generation, and the melancholy humor.
Caillet 4833. Wellcome I, 2972. See Garrison & Morton 4964.
Price: $2,000.00