De re Metallica

de re Metallica contained images, like this image of a miner using a shaving horse, that are widely republished today.

In 1556 Georgius Agricola published his very influential book de re Metallica. Agricola published the book in Latin. Of the several books he published, this early book on metallurgy was the most influential.

Agricola was ethnically German and his original name was Georg Bauer. He latinized hi name, like his contemporary Nicolas Copernicus, as that was a fad, for serious scholars, at that time.

The book describes many aspects of metallurgy, including how to mine ore, how to purify it, how to cast it, and how to deal with disputes with one's metal-workers.

The book incorporates misconceptions held at the time. For instance Agricola asserted that veins of ore gradually evolved into gold.