Two folding engraved plates. xi, [5], 390 pp. Small 8vo, cont. red morocco, with the arms in gilt of either the Comtesse de Provence or the Comtesse d’Artois (see below), triple gilt fillet round sides, spine nicely gilt, a.e.g. Paris: J.B. Coignard, 1745.

First edition and a lovely copy in contemporary red morocco with arms (see below). “La Garaye (1675-1755), a Breton nobleman and philanthropist, was a diligent chemist who devised a novel method of preparing medicines from minerals by long maceration with neutral salt solutions. He also extracted a number of principles from plants as from Peruvian bark, the... More

Finely engraved frontis. port. of the author & eight folding engraved plates. Five vols. 8vo, fine cont. mottled calf (a few minor defects), flat spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Paris: Maradan, 1797.

Second edition, corrected, and enlarged. This edition expands the sections on mineralogy and petrology from two volumes to four. First published in 1795, this is the author’s chief work, which enjoyed considerable popularity among his contemporaries; it was founded for the most part on Werner’s teachings. “Taking a broad cosmogonical view of creation, Lamétherie regarded the major features of the earth as the result of... More

One engraved plate & one woodcut head-piece vignette. 40 pp. 8vo, attractive modern marbled boards, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris: Gibert, 1773.

First edition of this famous book which caused a panic in Paris before it was published. Lalande “caused another stir in 1773, when he discussed the possibility of a collision between the earth and a comet. His work on the perturbation of comets by the planets indicated that the orbit of a comet might be altered enough to make a collision with the earth possible. He realized that the likelihood of such a collision was extremely... More

Folding engraved plate in Vol. IV. Five vols. Large 4to, handsome antique blue morocco-backed marbled boards, flat spines nicely gilt. Paris: J.B.M. Duprat & others, An VII [1798]-1825.

First edition and a complete set with all the supplements. In this monumental and fundamental astronomical work, Laplace -- the "Newton of France" -- codified and developed the theories and achievements of Newton, Euler, d'Alembert, and Lagrange. "Laplace maintained that while all planets revolve round the sun their eccentricities and the inclinations of their orbits to each other will always remain small. He also showed that all these irregularities in movements and positions... More

199 finely lithographed plates (the plate “Irrigations, No. 6“ in Vol. I was not published). Lithographed title, 48 printed leaves of text including final leaf listing plates; one lithographed leaf of “Prospectus,” lithographed title, 45 leaves of text incl. final leaf listing plates. Two parts in one vol. Large 4to, cont. green half-sheep (joints very carefully repaired), spine gilt. Paris, “á l’Etabissement lithographique du Comte de Lasteyrie, Rue du Bac No. 58,” 1820-21.

First edition of one of the most extensive and important lithographic works published in the early days of the medium. Lasteyrie (1759-1849), agronomist, industrialist, and philanthropist, was... More

Three folding engraved plates. xxx, [2], 443 pp. Two parts in one vol. 8vo, cont. half-sheep & speckled boards, flat spine gilt, blue morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris: Deterville, 1801.

Second edition of this “pioneer work in which [Lavoisier] first gives a historical survey of previous workers’ efforts and then describes his own experiments on gases and the conclusions to be derived from them.”–Duveen & Klickstein, p. 94.

“The genuine second edition in which Deterville has reprinted the entire book with the errata corrected in the text and with the plates reengraved by Tardieu senior. Another so-called seconde edition... More

Title within ornate woodcut architectural border. Woodcut printer’s device on title. 26 unnumbered leaves. Small folio, cont. pigskin-backed wooden boards, spine & boards stamped in blind, orig. brass catches on upper cover, one (of two) orig. clasps. Paris: N. de La Barre for E. Le Fevre, 6 October 1515.

[bound with]:

—. Arithmetica Speculativa…duodecim libris demonstrata. Title within ornate woodcut architectural border which is printed in red & black. Woodcut printer’s device on title. Several woodcuts in the text. 100 unnumbered leaves. Small folio (some foxing). Paris: N. de La Barre for E. Le Fevre, 18 December 1515.

First edition of... More

Woodcut printer’s device on title, a fine & large engraved headpiece with arms, & three finely handcolored engraved plates. 2 p.l., 8 pp. Folio, cont. speckled sheep (minor defect at foot of upper joint), spine gilt, contrasting leather lettering piece on spine. Nuremberg: A.W. Winterschmidt, 1764.

[bound with]:

—. Physikalisch-Mikroskopische Zergliederung des Korns oder Rokens; nebst der Beobachtung seines Wachsthums. Woodcut printer’s device on title, a fine & large engraved headpiece, & three finely handcolored engraved plates. 2 p.l., 8 pp. Folio. Nuremberg: A.W. Winterschmidt, 1764.

[bound with]:

—. Phisicalisch-Mikroskopische Vorstellung und Zergliederung einer angeblichen Rokenpflanze, das Staudten, Stek- oder Gerstenkorn insgemein... More

Engraved frontis. port. of Leybourn and numerous woodcut diagrams & tables in the text. Title printed in red & black. 6 p.l., 84, 177-279 pp. Small folio, cont. sheep (some wear & rubbing, a few unimportant stains). London: R. & W. Leybourn for E. Brewster & G. Sawbridge, 1653.

First edition under this title. “Of all the seventeenth-century writers on surveying, William Leybourn probably exerted a greater influence on the practicing surveyor than any other, with the possible exception of John Love. Leybourn’s first contribution to surveying was a short pamphlet, Pantometria or the Whole Art of Surveying, published in... More

xxiv, 616 pp.; 1 p.l., [3]-688 pp. Two vols. Small 8vo, cont. mottled sheep (head of spine of Vol. II chipped), spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Paris: Lacombe, 1766.

Second (first pirated) edition of the first modern chemical dictionary. Although technical dictionaries had appeared earlier, this was the first attempt to cover the whole field of chemistry, pure and applied, in an encyclopedic manner. The introduction traces the progress of chemistry from its origins to the time of Stahl and Boerhaave. The book was an immediate success and it was several times reprinted and translated; it produced... More

4 vols. Small 8vo, 19th-cent. quarter green morocco & marbled boards. Paris: P. Fr. Didot jeune, 1778.

Second “genuine” edition. “It is the genuine second edition as written by Macquer, whose name now appears on the title and whose reputation had by this time greatly increased. An important addition is the 168-page article on gas, a topic that was almost entirely new and had not been mentioned in the first edition…While the number of articles remains almost the same, the work is nearly twice as long owing to the inclusion of an up-to-date account of chemistry and much new material.”–Neville... More

Engraved frontis. viii, 47 pp. 8vo, later wrappers (title a little browned), uncut. London: Printed for W. Parker…, 1777.

First edition of “an important milestone in the early literature of gas analysis…Magellan (1722-90), was an Augustinian prior who emigrated to England and Protestantism in 1764. Elected F.R.S. (1774), he published this account of his researches on gases, addressed to Joseph Priestley. The glass apparatus for impregnating water with fixed air (carbon dioxide) is described in detail. Newly improved by ‘Mr. Parker,’ the apparatus was superior to that used by Priestley and described by him in 1772. Carbon dioxide was prepared... More