BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATED EDITION of "De Arte Gymnastica Libri Sex" (Six Books On the Art of Gymnastics) by Girolamo Mercuriale or Mercuriali (1530-1606) THE FIRST BOOK ON SPORTS MEDICINE. Mercuriale was an Italian philologist and physician, most famous for this work about fitness, exercise, gymnastics, nutrition, wrestling, boxing in ancient Rome, describes also the training and diet of Roman soldiers and gladiators. The illustrations are well engraved and detailed; there are 5 large fold-out copper engravings size; H 230 x W 370 mm and 28 full-page illustrations size; H 230 x W 185 mm. This illustrated edition printed in Amsterdam is the most complete and best illustrated edition of all, the first illustrated edition was printed in 1573. The pages are white, clean almost free from defects, original binding of the time in good condition. The engravings are by Cristoforo Coriolano (1540-1610 circa) after Pirro Ligorio (1512-1583). This edition contains additional plates not present in previous ones, from the work of Justus Lipsius or Joest Lips (1547-1606). "One of the earliest books to discuss the therapeutic value of gymnastics and sports generally for the cure of disease and disability, and an important study of gymnastics in the ancient world" (Garrison & Morton). The author Girolamo Mercuriale (1530-1606), also known as Hieronymus Mercurialis was a doctor from Forlì in Italy, was among the first who tried to re-establish the physical education of youth in the sixteenth century. In Rome, he made favorable contacts and had free access to the great libraries where he studied the classical and medical literature of the Greeks and Romans. His studies of the attitudes of the ancients toward diet, exercise, and hygiene and the use of natural methods for the cure of disease culminated in this publication "De Arte Gymnastica Libri Sex" (Six Books On the Art of Gymnastics). The illustrations which accompanied this illustrated edition of the work proved incredibly fertile to the Western imagination regarding the nature of athletics in the Classical world. This book brought Mercuriale fame and he was called to occupy the chair of practical medicine in Padova. During this time, he translated the works of Hippocrates and in 1573, he was called to Vienna to treat the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II. The emperor, pleased with the treatment he received and made him an imperial count palatine. He returned home in the following years; in 1575, the Venetian Senate awarded him a six-year contract as a professor at the University of Padova. In 1593, he was called by Ferdinando de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, to Pisa, because wanted to increase the prestige of the local university. References: Brunet III 1646; Wellcome IV, p.116; Krivatsy 7785; Garrison Morton 1593 & 1986 (1576 edition); Mortimer Italian 302; N. Siraisi. p. 236; Robert W. Baloh, Exercise and the Brain, 2022; Leopoldo Cicognara, Catalogo ragionato dei libri d'arte e d'antichità, vol. I, 1821; History, Antiquarianism, and Medicine: The Case of Girolamo Mercuriale; Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol.64, No.2 (2003); This edition (according to Cicognara 1713) is the most complete and prestigious because it contains more illustrations not present in previous editions. Title: Hieronymi Mercurialis Foroliviensis, De Arte Gymnastica Libri Sex: in Quibus Evercitationum Omnium Vetustarum Genera, Loca, Modi, Facultates, & Quidquid Denique Ad Corporis Humani Exercitationes Pertinet Diligenter Explicatur…(Hieronymus Mercurialis from city of Forli, Six Books On the Art of Gymnastics: in Which Kinds, Places, Modes, Faculties, And Everything Pertaining To The Exercises Of The Human Body Are Diligently Explained...Printed in Amsterdam by Andreas Frisius (Andreae Frisii) 1672. Description: In 4to size H 230 x L 185 mm. [10], 387, [41] pages, 5 big folding copper engravings + 28 full-page illustrations. Original 17th century rigid vellum binding, ink title on spine, boards and cover in good conditions, some small abrasions, small losses and stains on the corners, edges and boards. Pages are generally white, clean and unmarked. Shipping: via UPS, protected, INSURED and fully tracked package. Estimated time for Europe 3-5 working days. Shipping within one working day. You can combine shipping if you purchases several items from us, saving money and time.