Nosce te ipsvm et alios oder die wissenschafft sich selbst und anderer menschen gemüther zu erkennen. Aus moral- und physicalischen grund-sätzen hergeleitet / Die andere edition um die helffte vermehret nebst einem anhange von physicalischer betrachtung der temperamente entworffen.
Wittenberg: Bey Gottfried Zimmermanns, 1724. 8vo. xxx], 176, [8] pp., including index. SECOND EDITION. Wonderful engraved frontispiece, title in red and black, 1 folding plate. Contemporary vellum. Item #19892
Second edition, greatly expanded; the first was published in 1720. Here the author attempts to answer the age-old challenge of knowing and understanding not only yourself but the minds of other people as well. He distinguishes between two paths to understanding human nature, the physical (via astrology, physiognomy, palmistry and geomancy) and the moral. In this way, Leutmann expands the four-temperament classification (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic) with the understanding that the three main virtues of human-kind are temperance, modesty and pleasure-seeking. At the end, he summarizes his findings in 44 rules for life followed by 110 paragraphs on the various temperaments.
Leutmann (1667-1736), a German precision mechanic, optician, physicist and pastor in Dabrun, was known throughout Europe for the clocks, optical glasses and mechanical devices he designed. In 1725 he was appointed professor of optics and mechanics at the newly founded Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg.
Price: $650.00