Quarto (215x165 mm); 5 unnumbered pages with an illustrated title page featuring a frame divided into 14 vignettes depicting chemical, metallurgical, and mining processes; title page with a large woodcut coat of arms of the dedicatee, Ranuccio Farnese, Duke of Parma, p. 183, unnumbered page 1, p. 39 *Catascopia minerale, or *Exploratione o' modo di far saggio d'ogni miniera metalica trattato*. A total of 29 copper engravings (in *La Pratica minerale*, 21 full-page engravings and 7 half-page engravings within the text, the first signed by the engraver, Lorenzo Tinti; 1 full-page plate in *Catascopia*). Contemporary semi-rigid parchment binding with title on a label on the spine, somewhat worn, with small losses on the label, old handwritten numeric notes inside the covers, a perfectly executed old restoration on the upper cap, a small hole on the spine, and minimal but widespread signs of use. A beautiful, authentic copy with some slightly yellowed leaves, small restored tears, and signs of wear on the first sheet of paper; a handwritten ownership note in brown ink reading “Del dottore Gius. and Roggiero” (note repeated with a different wording at the end), traces of surface soiling on page 2; from page 8 to page 50, a small stain at the top center of the page; a few small scattered stains, foxing, and creases. A few scattered stains, some handwritten annotations, and some plates showing through the pages as is customary. An extremely rare first edition, complete with all the exquisite engravings and the final 39 pages of the *Catascopia*. Adams describes it as “one of the most important ancient texts on mining.” The text consists of 13 chapters: (1) On the furnace. (2) On the crucible. (3) On the order to be followed in the work. (4) On the classification of analytical procedures. (5) On the method of smelting. (6) On the domestic gold vein. (7) On the vein that is difficult to smelt. (8) On the gold vein connected to others. (9) Method for analyzing the gold vein with silver wine. (10) On the local silver vein. (11) On the silver vein that is difficult to smelt. (12) On the copper vein. (13) On the true lead vein. The author was born in 1630. He devoted himself in particular to the study of mineralogy and, as a naturalist, traveled throughout the countries of northern Europe. King John Casimir of Poland welcomed him graciously to his court, and after exploring the Adriatic coast, he went to Bologna to organize his materials and put the collections he had assembled in order. He died there in 1695, at the age of 65. (Hoover, 322): “He supported Agricola’s thesis that metals and minerals did not appear out of nowhere at the time of the Earth’s creation, which constituted an important step toward a correct understanding of the origin of mineral deposits. (Duveen 222): The unsigned plates ‘are of truly unusual quality... No reference to this work is found in authoritative sources.” Duveen p. 222; Hoover 322, Singer III, 50; not in Ferguson