Milestones of Science Books

PLUMIER, Charles.

L'art de tourner ou de faire en perfection toutes sortes d'ouvrages au to ur. Dans lequel, outre les principes & elemens du tour qu'on y enseigne met hodiquement pour tourner tant le bois, l'ivoire &c. que le fer & tous les a utres metaux . . . Ouvrage tres curieux, et tres necessaire a ceux qui s'exercent au tour. Composé en francois & en latin en faveur des etrangers. .

Paris: Aubouin, Ribou and Jombert, 1706.

2nd Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003633

Folio (373 x 241 mm). [28], 187 [1] pp., engraved additional title page, 72 engraved plates (1 folding), woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces. Text in two columns in French and Latin. Signatures: â⁴ ẽ⁴ ĩ⁶, A-Y⁴, Z⁶. Contemporary French sprinkled calf, spine with 6 raised bands, gilt decoration and gilt-lettered morocco label, rebacked and recornered, red-sprinkled edges, original endpapers (boards little cratched and soiled, extremities rubbed). Text and plates with only little browning, occasional spotting and finger-soling. Provenance: Kenney Collection (small sticker to front pastedown); Tho. Frankland (signed on engraved title verso). A near fine, tall and unstained copy. ----

Brunet IV-729; Graesse V, 353; Ornamentstichsammlung Berlin I, 146 (1st ed.); Honeyman 2504. Second issue of the first edition of 1701, with a new title page only. The work represents the earliest known treatise on the lathe. It describes the turning of wood, metals, ivory, diamonds, etc. and the tools and machines to be used. Further shown are objects to be made in this way, such as vases, urns, knives or snuff-boxes. Charles Plumier (1646-1704) is best known today as an important botanist and explorer. On three major expeditions to South America, undertaken on behalf of Louis XIV, he discovered and named numerous plants on the continent. His work on lathe art presented here, however, also met with great interest among his contemporaries. For the first time, practices and tools were presented, the use of which had previously been a well-kept secret of a few specialists. In addition to the description of the tables and working methods, the text also contains numerous recipes for the production of paints, varnishes, etc.
EDITION ORIGINALE de seconde emission avec le papillon colle sur "Lyon, Jean Certe [. . .] 1701", adresse de l'edition originale de premiere emission. Edition juxtalineaire latin-francais identique a celle de 1701. PREMIER OUVRAGE sur l'art (demeure secret jusqu'alors) de tourner le bois, l'ivoire, les diamants, les metaux . . . Illustre de 1 titre grave, 72 planches figurant l'appareillage, les instruments et divers chefs-d'oeuvre de compagnons (vases, urnes, tabatieres. . .), 1 bandeau armorie et 1 autre historie. Voyageur et botaniste renomme, le pere minime Plumier (1646-1704) passa de longues annees a etudier la flore des Antilles et d'Amerique du Sud et ses nombreux ouvrages influencerent e.a. la classification de Linné. - Visit our website to see more images!

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