Mémoire sur la recherche des moyens que l’on pourroit employer pour construire de grandes Arches...
One large folding engraved plate. 1 p.l., 44 pp. Large 4to, cont. half-sheep & marbled boards (minor foxing). Paris: de l’Imprimerie Nationale, 1793.
First edition. “This Mémoire on his monumental concept of masonry bridges with spans of 200 to 500 feet is the rarest of all Perronet’s works. Inspired by some of the great spans of the past (Verona 150ft or Pontypridd 178ft) he asks why, ‘dans un siècle ou les sciences & les arts ont fait de si grands progrès, ne pourroit-on pas se flatter d’en établir solidement qui ayent encore plus d’ouverture?’…
“Perronet is fascinated by the challenge... More