Nicolas. Traité de la construction et des principaux usages des instrumens de mathematique: avec les figures necessaires pour l’intelligence de ce Traité.

by BION

£3,000 · Offered by Henry Sotheran Ltd

In a faked Royal Binding BION, Nicolas. Traité de la construction et des principaux usages des instrumens de mathematique: avec les figures necessaires pour l’intelligence de ce Traité. Paris: Chez La Veuve de J. Boudot, J. Collombat, et J. Boudot fils . 1709. 8vo. Contemporary French sheep, later gilt armorial supralibros to boards (see below), within double fillet border, spine with raised bands lettered and tooled in gilt (rebacked preserving the original compartments), edges gilt over marbling, marbled endpapers, blue silk place marker; pp. [8], 347, [5], with 28 engraved plates by Harmanus van Loon, engraved vignette by Nicolas Guerard to p. [3], woodcut initials, head and tail pieces; extremities lightly worn, corners restored; some variable light toning, otherwise very good and clean; a few contemporary annotations in ink, contemporary correction to p. 377: “1725 e des suivantes. C’est à dire le 31 Marz et le 3 octob. L’etoile polaire at aussi le 1 Aóust, et le 14 Fevrier, la luire dela petite Ourse”. First edition, a superb copy of “the most famous book devoted to instruments” (Knight). Nicolas Bion (1652-1733), engineer and royal instrument-maker to the King of France, produced globes, sundials, astrolabes, and a wide variety of mathematical and astronomical instruments. Though few of his actual instruments survive, his Traité on mathematical instruments remains his enduring legacy, providing “a fairly complete list of instruments normally constructed during the firs

• Binding: Hardcover

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