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Vesalius' fabrica: A report on the worldwide census of the 1543 and 1555 editions

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Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Margócsy, D 
Somos, M 
Joffe, SN 

Abstract

This article provides a listing of known copies of the first two folio editions of Andreas Vesalius’ De humani corporis fabrica (1543 and 1555), revising earlier estimates. It shows that the Fabrica survives in much higher numbers than previously reported, and has a much wider geographical distribution, as well. The authors discuss the methodologies for conducting census in the digital age, provide an estimate of the print runs, and compare the survival rate of the two folio editions. It is argued that cultural politics explains the circulation patterns and current locations of Vesalius’ Fabrica. Throughout history, this luxurious atlas of anatomy could only be afforded by the wealthy, and, as a result, surviving copies tend to concentrate in areas that have traditionally been associated with the development of Western economic power structures.

Description

Keywords

history of medicine, history of anatomy, Andreas Vesalius, census, history of the book, bibliography, early modern anatomy

Journal Title

Social History of Medicine

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0951-631X
1477-4666

Volume Title

30

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)