# Is "Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses" by Robert Hooke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses by Robert Hooke (John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, London, 1665) is identified by: Title page printed in red and black, imprint of John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, dated MDCLXV — the Roman date on the title is the primary check and it must read MDCLXV, not MDCLXVII. London 1665 is the true first and the census claim is correct — there is no foreign or earlier edition, the book was written and printed in English.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Title page printed in red and black, imprint of John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, dated MDCLXV — the Roman date on the title is the primary check and it must read MDCLXV, not MDCLXVII. The privilege/imprimatur leaf precedes the text (the book was presented to the Royal Society on 23 November 1664 and issued in January 1665); it is frequently found mounted on a stub or missing
- Called for are 38 engraved plates, of which 12 are folding or double-page — these include the famous large folding flea and louse
- The plates must be collated complete and checked for cropped plate numbers and shaved images, a common defect
- Text runs to 246 pp. plus preface and index, arranged as sixty Observations
- Strong, unpressed plate impressions distinguish early pulls
- References: Wing H2620
- Publisher imprint reads John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, London

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Hooke |
| Publisher | John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, London |
| Year | 1665 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Title page printed in red and black, imprint of John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, dated MDCLXV — the Roman… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Folio. Title page printed in red and black, imprint of John Martyn and James Allestry, Printers to the Royal Society, dated MDCLXV — the Roman date on the title is the primary check and it must read MDCLXV, not MDCLXVII. The privilege/imprimatur leaf precedes the text (the book was presented to the Royal Society on 23 November 1664 and issued in January 1665); it is frequently found mounted on a stub or missing. Called for are 38 engraved plates, of which 12 are folding or double-page — these include the famous large folding flea and louse. The plates must be collated complete and checked for cropped plate numbers and shaved images, a common defect. Text runs to 246 pp. plus preface and index, arranged as sixty Observations. Strong, unpressed plate impressions distinguish early pulls. References: Wing H2620; ESTC R18004; Keynes 6; Garrison-Morton 262; Horblit 50; PMM.

## Is this the true first?
London 1665 is the true first and the census claim is correct — there is no foreign or earlier edition, the book was written and printed in English. The census's note on a 1667 appearance is essentially right and worth keeping: copies dated MDCLXVII exist, put out with a new title page from the same setting and the same copperplates. Sources consulted differ on whether the 1667 is strictly a reissue of remaining sheets with a cancel title or a re-impression, so state the title-page date rather than the mechanism. The 1667 is not a first edition under either account.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The dominant reprint tell is Henry Baker's Micrographia Restaurata (London, 1745), which reprints Hooke's original copperplates — their third impression — surrounded by Baker's own text. It is a different book by a different author and is routinely mistaken for Hooke's; check the title page and the author's name. Loose Micrographia plates in circulation are commonly pulled from Micrographia Restaurata or from modern facsimiles rather than from 1665 sheets.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses* by Robert Hooke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/micrographia-or-some-physiological-descriptions-of-minute-bo
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.