In 4° (mm 256x190);half title, pages (4), 177 with 29 finely engraved copperplates at the end of the volume, plus a further 10 full-page plates and 2 figures in the text, depicting insects enlarged several times, complete with mosquito plate. decorated initials within beautiful woodcut vignettes and headpieces. Frontispiece in red and black with the motto of the Accademia della Crusca in copper. Italian text, sometimes printed in Arabic and in Latin and Greek. Dustwrapper with title label on spine. This was the literary masterpiece of Francesco Redi, a famous man of letters and scientist at the turn of the 17th century; he was in the service of the Medici, with whom he seems to have been one of the promoters of the Accademia del Cimento. However, he set aside superstitions and hearsay and brought his work to the plane of rational and sensist experimentation, separating science as far as possible from Catholic morality and religious principles.A very important work for the history of discoveries on parasites, it is based not only on ingenious experimental evidence but also on repeated microscopic observations. Very good genuine specimen in mint condition printed on strong paper with wide margins. Top margin of title page with lack. Garrison-Morton 97: “Redi’s experiments [...] dealt the first real blow to the doctrine of spontaneous generation. In these experiments Redi made use of what we now term “controls”; Piantanida 1749: “Pur essendo la tiratura delle tav. più stanca, l’autore riconobbe questa quinta edizione, quanto al testo, migliore della prima” Prandi 11. Gamba 815. Brunet IV,1175. (per la prima edizione del 1668) Graesse VI, I, pag. 58; Prandi,11.