HOOVER, Herbert - AGRICOLA, Georgius.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

De re metallica. First edition in English, presentation copy from the co-translator, future 31st President Herbert Hoover, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Alfred Hicks Esq, With Compliments, H. C. Hoover". This was the first English translation of Agricola's pioneering treatise on mining and metallurgy, originally published in Latin in 1556.The recipient was most likely Alfred Hicks (1837-1916), "one of the most successful coal operators of Western Pennsylvania... the owner of a score of rich coal mines in the Leechburg district" (obituary in The Pittsburgh Press, 8 March 1916). The self-made Hicks had served with the 76th Pennsylvania in the Civil War, rising through the ranks and mustering out with the rank of captain. He was present at Cold Harbor and Petersburg and was in Ford's Theatre the night Lincoln was shot, reputedly "among the first on the stage in an effort to capture Booth" (obituary, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States).Both Herbert and Lou Hoover graduated with degrees in geology from Stanford University. Herbert made his fortune in the mining industry as an engineer and consultant; his Principles of Mining (1909), a collection of lectures he delivered at Columbia and Stanford universities, became a standard textbook. "The Hoovers knew the value and the lore of Agricola's masterwork... Lou's proficiency in Latin and German (Agricola's native tongue), as well as her scientific training made her an indispensable partner in the enter

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