Milestones of Science Books

LALANDE, Joseph-Jérôme de.

Astronomie.

Paris: Desaint & Saillant, 1764.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002987

Two parts bound in two volumes. 4to (252 x 188 mm). xlviii, 752, 44; [4], (753)-1544, xxxiv, [2] pp., including half-titles, titles with woodcut device, woodcut head- and tailpieces, index and privilege leaf at end of vol. II, 36 folding engraved plates. Contemporary mottled French calf, spines with 5 raised bands, compartments tooled and lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers and edges (extremities rubbed, corners worn, slight cracking to spine leather and joints, spine ends somewhat scuffed). Text generally crisp and clean with only minor age-toning and very minor occasional spotting, both title pages with old inscriptions erased resulting in thining of paper and a repaired hole in vol. I (not affecting text), leaf N3 in vol. I and 5a2 in vol. II torn in blank margins. Provenance: Rochefort (signature to second title-page); Chappuis ainé & fils, Bordeaux (paper sticker to front pastedown of vol. I). A fine set in untouched bindings, collated complete. ----

Poggendorff I, 1349; Houzeau-L. I, 9258; Sotheran 2390; DSB 7:580; Honeyman 1889; DSB VII, p.580. - Next to his efforts to improve astronomical tables, Lalande's greatest achievement was his Astronomie, which "became a standard textbook and had the advantage over other texts of containing much practical information on instruments and methods of calculation" (DSB). - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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