Beschreibung:

WILKINS, JOHN. An Essay Towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language. London (printed for Sa. Gellibrand, and for John Martin Printer to the Royal Society) 1668. Folio (313x196 mm.). (20, last blank), 1-454, (2 blank), (158, last page blank, lacks last blank leaf) pp. Title with engraved vignette, 2 engraved plates (one folding), 2 folding printed tables, 2 fullpage engravings in text. Near-contemporary brown calf, mended and rebacked, red morocco label on spine, edges mottled red. New inner doublures and endpapers. Marginal repairs to first two leaves (one mended). Minor foxing. Some marginal annotations in ink, giving Greek words corresponding to the words in English discussed in the text. Old signature on old first endpaper. The final portion begins with its own titel-page: "An alphabetical dictionary, wherein all English words according to their various significations, are either referred to their places in the philosophical tables, or explained by such words, as are in those tables". John Wilkins (1614-1672), bishop of Chester, the first secretary of the Royal Society, married Cromwell's sister in 1656. In this work. Wilkins formulated a philosophical language scheme based upon the logical system of classification of 40 genera. These were subdivided into six genera of greatest generality and 36 genera ("Predicates") of lesser generality subdivided into the categories of Substance, Quantity, Quality, Action, and Relation. Each of thes categories was further subdivided into peculiar differences ans species. Wilkins spoke of how certain elements of chinese characters were based upon real things, and he drew examples of this from Semedo's "Imperio de la China" (1642). Wikins also took note of Semedo's claim that there was no constant principle in deriving Chinese characters from real things... (Mungello) D. E. Mungello: Curious Land (1989) pp. 35 & 189-191; Löwendahl: China illustrata nova, 139. From the library of Swedish antiquarian bookdealer Björn Löwendahl (1941-2013). Photo.