Ultra-rare book from 1752 is being sold by Shropshire dealer - but you'll need to know Latin to read it
The search is on for anyone who can make sense of "an incredibly rare" Shropshire book, a 1752 tome about diseases written in Latin.
The 272-year-old leather-bound book is being sold by Much Wenlock booksller Judith Goodman and has bee the subject of morbid fascination but no firm offers.
Observations De Aere et Morbis Epidemicis by Joanne Huxham is on sale for just £50 due to "the subject matter and written in Latin".
Judith, 58, who runs pop up book shops across the Midlands, described the book about epidemic diseases as "incredibly rare but also incredibly difficult to sell".
However, when first printed the book was seen as cutting-edge science and medical thought, and sold throughout Europe, helped by its Latin prose.
Judith told the Express & Star: "The book is very rare and is the oldest book I have.
"I bought it from a friend of mine who had a great collection but sadly was diagnosed with dementia."
The book was originally owned by The University of Glasgow and still has its stamp on the inside cover.
Though Joanne Huxham might sound like the name of a female author, the book was actually written by John Huxham.
Huxham, who lived between 1692 and 1768, made daily records of the weather and prevailing diseases and wanted to prove the relationship between atmosphere and disease.
The Devon physician and doctor studied fevers and in 1755 received the Copley Medal for his contribution to medicine. His 1752 Latin book was based on his previous publication Essay on Fevers.
His Latin version, published in London, graced the great libraries and universities of France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and beyond.
He was said to be the first Briton to coin the word 'influenza' and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society.
The Pop Up Bookshop includes a selection of old books, including an illustrated 1850s medical book of brains and heads, among the 5,000 books for sale at any one time.
Judith has sold books throughout the Midlands for decades, pitching up in the region's towns for short spells. However, after penning a deal with the Mander Centre she is in the middle of a three-month residency in Wolverhampton.
Judith's favourite book is Black Beauty - she has over 70 copies of the equine classic - but like every bookdealer she is on the lookout for that rarest of finds: a first edition of a classic or a recalled title which remained on the market.
Another book which is like the Holy Grail for booksellers is an edition of Rupert the Bear, with a brown face, not his usual white fur.
Judith said: "It was published in the early 1970s and recalled - I always try and snap up Rupert the Bear on the off-chance it could be the rarest of rare books."
