One vol. of text: xv, 672 pp., one folding leaf (“224bis”), & one large folding printed table (“660bis”). 8vo, cont. green morocco-backed marbled boards, spine gilt. Atlas: One leaf of title, one leaf of index of plates, & 42 double-page photolithographed plates. Large 4to, binding as above. Paris: J. Baudry, 1875.

Second edition, “entièrement revue et corrigée.” Alcan (1811-77), was professor of textiles at the Conservatoire national des Arts et Métiers in Paris. He wrote a series of books on various technical aspects of the textile industry.

This is his main work on cotton and the cotton industry, which became a standard... More

Ten folding engraved plates. viii, 368 pp. Large 4to, orig. paste-paper wrappers (a bit frayed), printed paper label on spine, uncut. Paris: Bachelier, 1821.

First collected edition and quite scarce on the market. “Coulomb’s collected memoirs on mechanics. The first of these deals with simple machines and won the Academy prize of 1779. The second is a study of friction at pivots, and the third deals with torsion and the elasticity of metal wire. In the fourth memoir Coulomb discusses man’s ability to perform work, quoting Daniel Bernoulli and d’Alembert. The fifth memoir is devoted to windmills and the force of their... More

One large folding engraved frontis. plate & one folding plate. 2 p.l., 43, [1] pp. 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Canterbury: Printed for the Author…, 1786.

First edition and very rare; ESTC locates only one copy in North America. Following Jethro Tull’s invention and perfection of the seed drill, there were numerous others who developed modifications and improvements. The great advance made by Horn, a resident of Dover, was to design and patent a sowing machine that could plant every kind of seed. Pages 36-43 contain a minute description of the ten figures on the... More

Several small woodcuts in the text. 12 p.l., 128 pp. 8vo, 19th-cent. blue boards, uncut. Stockholm: L. Salvius, 1761.

First edition and very rare. Polhem (1661-1751), the father of Swedish technology, was a pioneer in the mass production of replaceable machine parts, which he made with great precision and accuracy. He made other important contributions to applied mechanics, mining engineering, the construction of canals and docks, building materials and the construction of buildings, and the manufacturing of textiles. Polhem also established a mechanical laboratory for the development and construction of machines, technical instruments, astronomical clocks, etc.

This title of this posthumously published work, edited by his son Gabriel, can be translated as “Patriotic Testament, or Information on Iron, Steel, Brass, Tin and Lead for Those who want to start Industries in these Fields. Including a list of all his Mechanical Inventions,” is the best account by Polhem of his numerous achievements and provides his “alphabet” of machines which demonstrated the basic elements of mechanics. More

One folding engraved plate. 22 pp. 4to, attractive antique half-calf & paste-paper boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Venice: G. Lironcurti, 1770.

First edition of this extremely rare work on the seed drill, an improvement on Jethro Tull’s invention. This seed drill, whose component parts are depicted on nine figures on the plate, was designed to efficiently plant corn seeds.

Fine copy. Stamp of the Rothamsted Experimental Station on blank portion of title. More

Three folding engraved plates. 32 pp. 8vo, cont. half-calf & marbled boards (upper joint a little cracked but strong), flat spine lettered in gilt. London: T. Hookham, 1786.

First edition and very rare; WorldCat locates no copy in North America. Following Jethro Tull’s invention and perfection of the seed drill, there were numerous others who developed modifications and further improvements. The text of this anonymous work describes the construction of William Winlaw’s drill ploughs in great detail — as illustrated on the fine plates. The ploughs were available from “Winlaw, Engine-maker, Margaret Street, Cavendish Square.” He also invented a very successful threshing machine... More