(Born: Chemnitz, Hungary, 23 April 1516; Died: 13 July 1571) German philologist & Latin poet.

Fabricius was president of the College of Meissen from 1553 to 1571. Among his writings are Description of Rome (1550) and Res Germaniæ et Saxoniæ Memorabiles (1609).

Biographical references: ADB: 6, 510. • Baumgarten-Crusius, Programma de Georg Fabricii Vita, 1839. • DBA: I 303, 95-97; 303, 101-104. • Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. • Jöcher, Gelehrten-Lexikon, 1750-51. • Nouvelle Biographie Générale (Hoefer): 16, col. 958. • NDB: 4, 734-5 [by H. Schönebaum]. • Poggendorff: 1, col. 711. • Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 2, 978. • Thomas, Dictionary of Biography, 1884: 886. • WBI.

1. Latin, 1565/6.
De Metallicis | Rebvs Ac | Nominibvs Ob= | Servationes Variae | & eruditæ, ex schedis Georgij Fabri- | cij: quibus ea potissimùm ex- | plicantur, quæ Georgius | Agricola præ- | terijt. | [ornament] | Tigvri M.D.LXV.

8°: a-d⁸ e²; 34l.; no pagination. Page size: 165 x 100 mm.

Contents: a1r, Title page.; a1v, Table of contents.; a2r-a3r, Epistola, dated 1566.; a3v-e2v, Text.

Rare. This succinct treatise, which cites many classical sources, provides descriptions of the noble and base metals. It consists of eleven chapters that describe gold, silver, lead, copper, tin as well as various alloys and oxides. The debt owed by the author to Agricola is noted on the title page and in the introductory letter. This letter written by Johannes Kentmann is dated 1566, although the title page is dated 1565, and together with the separate foliation provides evidence that this work was issued separately, as well as included in Conrad Gesner's De Omni Rerum Fossilium (Tigvri, 1565).

German transl., 1913: Contained in: J.M. Eder, Quellenschriften zu den frühesten Anfängen der Photographie bis zum XVIII. Jahrhundert herausgegeben und mit Erläuterungen versehen. Halle an der Saale, Wilhelm Knapp, 1913. 4°: [4], 187 p., 7 plates. Printed stiff wrappers.

Scarce. Within this survey of early writings concerning photography from the middle of the 16th century into the latter part of the 18th century, there is a translation of a portion of Fabricius' work, with an explanation by Eder as to the significance of the information to the later invention of photography. The text is presented in the original Latin of Fabricius along with a German translation. There is also a reproduction of title page of the De Metallicis Rebus.

Bibliographical references: Adams, Cambridge Books, 1967: G-522/[3]. • Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 70. • Hoover Collection: no. 347/[3]. • LKG: III 23. • Osler, Bibliotheca Osleriana, 1969: no. 646/[3]. • Sinkankas, Gemology Bibliography, 1993: no. 2366/3. • Sparrow, Milestones of Science, 1972: no. 82/[3]. • Ward & Carozzi, Geology Emerging, 1984: no. 906/[3] & 767. • Wellisch, H., "Conrad Gessner: a bio-bibliography", Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History, 7, (1975), pt. 2, 151-247, 4 text figs [See A-63/3].

2. Latin, 1913.
... Eruditæ, ex schedis Georgij Fabricij: quibus ea potissimùm explicantur, quæ Georgius Agricola præterijt. Contained in: J.M. Eder, Quellenschriften zu den frühesten Anfängen der Photographie bis zum XVIII. Jahrhundert herausgegeben und mit Erläuterungen versehen. Halle an der Saale, Wilhelm Knapp, 1913.

4°: [2], 187 p., 7 plates. Printed stiff wrappers.

Very scarce. First German edition. Contains a facsimile reproduction of the first edition dated 1565, followed by a German translation.A survey of early writings concerning photography from the middle of the 16th-century into the latter part of the 18th-century with explanations by the author as to their significance to the later "invention" of photography. Presented in the original Latin of the authors with German translation provided; contains reproductions of title pages of the works from which extracts have been taken.

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