The Two Bookes of Sr Francis Bacon, of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Humane. To the King. BACON (Francis) METHODOLOGY

Third edition, small 4to (186 x 130 mm), [2], 166, 169-335, [1]pp., title with woodcut ornament, some light browning and scattered spotting, but generally very clean, attractively bound in brown straight-grain morocco by Lloyd, Wallis & Lloyd, gilt, spine with raised bands, all edges gilt, a very nice copy. This is the most important of Bacon's philosophical writing, first published in 1605. The first book eloquently discusses the importance of learning, with the second being a crucial work on the philosophy of science. It "describes the gross inadequacies of the curriculum in English universities and the need for detailed study of material objects to discover, ultimately, the explanation of every aspect of nature. The Advancement of Learning then provides a survey of learning, classifying existing branches of knowledge and pointing to new areas for study." Clark Memorial Library. Provenance: book-label of Henry Terry to front free endpaper. Gibson 83; STC 1166; Madan, I, p. 164.