Year: 1657
Author: Giambattista della Porta
Genre: Esoteric teachings
Publisher: London
English language
Format: PDF
Number of Pages: 430

A book published in twenty copies of a book about magic and the influence of mysticism on nature and society of people, published in Londrna in 1657. Rare edition, which today has become a real bibliographic rarity. The material is presented in 12 sections, each section describing some of the magical aspects of things. The book was widely used by Freemasons, astrologers, naturopaths and magicians, who were eager to expand their esoteric knowledge of what was.

Giambattista della Porta
(Italian Giambattista della Porta, November 1, 1535, Vico-Equense - February 4, 1615, Naples) is an Italian physician, philosopher, alchemist and playwright.
Biography
Thanks to its methods of scientific research, Giambattista della Porta can be considered one of the first European scientists in the modern sense of the word. His first major work was published in 1558, an essay on alchemy Natural Magic ("Magia naturalis") (della Porta claimed to have written it at the age of 15). In it, in particular, one of the few existing prescriptions for the manufacture of the so-called "witch's ointment" for witches is cited. After this, in 1560, at the direction of the pope, in Naples the Della Porta Scientific Academy (Academia Secretorum Naturae) was banned.
In 1563 he published a fundamental work on cryptology - De furtivis literarum notis (Pro hidden meaning of individual letters), which made him famous.
In 1570 he designed an improved version of Camera obscura, the predecessor of a modern camera.
He has published scientific works devoted to agriculture:
Pomarium (on the cultivation of fruit), 1583;
Olivetum (on the cultivation of olives), 1584;
Villae (common work on agronomy), 1592.
In 1586 he wrote his second outstanding work - in medicine (Human physiognomy (De humana physiognomia)). In 1588 he was followed by Phytognomica - work on the physiognomy of plants.
Della Porta's interest in magic and alchemy led to the fact that an investigation was initiated against the scientist by the Holy Inquisition, which ended, however, for him without consequences. However, after this, Della Porta gradually withdrew from scientific research and devoted himself to literary and dramatic work (published in 1596 in Bergamo comedy Trappolaria and a number of other plays).
Selected works
Magiae naturalis sive de miraculis rerum naturalium, 1558 (Alchemy)
De furtivis literarum notis, 1563 (Cryptology)
De humana physiognomonia, 1586 (Medicine)
Phytognomonica, 1588 (Botany)
Villae, 1592 (Agriculture)
La Trappolaria, 1596 (Literature, Comedy)
De telescopio, 1962

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