[ANIMAL MAGNETISM - SLEEPWALKING] "T.D.M." (Tardy de Montravel)

Essai Sur La Théorie du Somnambulisme Magnétique. Novembre 1785

"A Londres" [i.e., Paris]: 1785. First Edition. Octavo (20cm). Sewn pamphlet; early paste-paper wrappers; 108pp. A somewhat worn copy; lacking half-title; title page margins unevenly trimmed; neat mends to leaves A2 and B7; vertical tear to first text leaf; small puncture to final leaf, costing a few characters but no loss of sense; wormhole to gutter of final three leaves (just touching text on p.105). Else complete and Good, with interior text quite fresh and clean.

An early treatise on "magnetic somnabulism," a phenomenon originally announced by Puységur a year earlier. Tardy's findings are based primarily on his experiments with one "Mlle N," who "...seemed to possess certain extraordinary abilities already noted in magnetic somnambulists by Puységur and others...these included the ability to diagnose her own illness and those of others and the ability to perceive clairvoyantly...[and] see the magnetic fluid and describe its colors..." [Crabtree p.36]. "Londres" is a false imprint; the book was almost certainly published in Paris. Worn but complete copy of a notable early work. ESTC T91390. CRABTREE 152.

Price: $300.00

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