An Important Work on Mining & Metallurgy

BERGBAUKUNDE.

[Edited by Ignaz von Born & Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich von Trebra]. Two fine & large mezzotint vignettes on titles, 13 folding engraved plates & maps, three folding printed tables, & one engraving in the text. 4 p.l., 408, [12] pp.; 2 p.l., 468, [4] pp. Two vols. Large 4to, cont. half-calf & dark red boards (corners a bit worn, minor rubbing), flat spines gilt, green morocco lettering pieces on spines. Leipzig: G.J. Goeschen, 1789-90.

First edition and very scarce; this is a complete copy with all 13 plates. Born and Trebra were the founders, in 1786 at Szkleno in Hungary, of the Societät der Bergbaukunde, which had the purpose of increasing knowledge in the areas of geology, mining, mineralogy, and metallurgy. It was a very international scientific society, and other early members included von Heynitz, Lavoisier, Gmelin, Charpentier, Ferber, Poda, Hawkins, and Goethe.

This is the first (and only?) publication of the society; “hierin findet sich alles Wissenswerthe des Bergfachs nach dem damaligen Stande der Wissenschaft und Erfahrung vortrefflich und eingehend erörtert.”–A.D.B., Vol. 38, p. 551. The first 34 pages of Vol. I print the society’s plans and by-laws. The remainder of the two volumes contains numerous contributions concerning various mining activities in Germany, Hungary, France, England, Mexico, etc.

Each title-page vignette is an extremely attractive mezzotint, and the plates depict geological cross-sections, maps of mining areas, machinery, etc.

Fine set of this attractive book.

❧ D.S.B., II, pp. 315-16 & XIII, pp. 455-56. Mikulas Teich, “Born’s Amalgamation Process and the International Metallurgic Gathering at Skleno in 1786” in Annals of Science, 32 (1975), pp. 305-40.

Price: $6,750.00

Item ID: 7661