Search Results: Sparrow - Milestones of Science from Milestones of Science Books

Leiden, 1695. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. [Works, in Latin]. I. Arcana naturae detecta. Leiden: Henrik van Kroonevelt, 1695. [8], 568, [14] pages, including engraved additional title, 27 engraved plates of which 15 are folding and several engraved illustrations in text. Paper only very little browned, very minor spotting, plate to p.548 shaved some mm into the plate mark, ownership signature to title page. II. Arcana naturae, ope & beneficio exquisitissimorum microscopiorum. ... una cum discursu & ulteriori dilucidatione; epistolis suis ad ... philosophorum collegium ... editio altera. Leiden: Cornelius Boutestein, 1696. [12], 3-58 (i.e. 64), 258 (i.e. 260) pp., including etched additional title by Romeyn de Hooghe, 11 engraved plates of which 5 are folding and several engraved illustrations in text. Title page soiled and with ownership inscription. [bound with] III. Continuatio epistolarum... editio altera. Leiden: Cornelius Boutestein,… Read More

Frankfurt am Main: Gottfried Tampach, 1610. 2nd Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 2nd Edition. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. 4to (231 x 171 mm). [8], 112, 01-20, 022-028 [1], 112 (i.e. 113)-822, [12] pp. Title-page printed in red and black, numerous woodcut text illustrations and diagrams, woodcut initials and tailpieces, general index at end. Signatures: )(4 (:)4 B-O4 P-Q8 R10 S-Z4 AA-II4 KK-LL8 MM-ZZ4 AAA-ZZZ4 AAAA-ZZZZ4 Aaaaa-Mmmmm4. Leaves P1r-Q6r numbered 01-028 (partly corrected by hand), Q6v unnumbered, Q7r misnumbered 112, pp. 497-98 skipped in pagination. Contemporary richly blind-stamped pigskin over beveled wooden boards, spine with four raised bands and paper label lettered in ink, two brass catches preserved, red-dyed edges, original endpapers (foot of spine restored, upper spine with a few wormholes, occasional minor staining and discoloration of leather). Text somewhat browned throughout as usual (few pages stronger), some scattered spotting, lower corner of first four leaves… Read More

London, 1807. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Journal extract from: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London for the Year 1806, Vol. 97, Part One, published 1807. Slim 4to, pp. 1-56. Volume title, plus engraved plate at rear, some spotting, recent blue buckram gilt. ---- Sparrow 52, PMM 255 (remark) - Davy found that when he passed electrical current through some substances, these substances decomposed, (a process later called electrolysis). Davy must have known of Lavoisier's suggestion that the alkali earths were s of unknown metals. At first, he tried to separate the metals by electrolyzing aqueous solutions of the alkalis, but this yielded only hydrogen gas. He then tried passing current through molten compounds, and his persistence was rewarded when he was able to separate globules of pure metal by this means. His first successes came in 1807 with the separation of potassium from molten potash and of… Read More

Berlin: Friedrich Vieweg, 1793. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. 4to (267 x 210 mm). [6] pp., 444 columns, [4] pp. Fine engraved title by W. Arndt and C. Jack after Sprengel and Jack, and 25 engraved plates by J.S. Capieux, A. Wohlgemuth and J.D.H. after Sprengel. 20th-century half calf over marbled boards, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, red-dyed edges (little rubbing of extremities). Text generally quite clean and bright, faint dampstaining to first 4 leaves including title, three gatherings M-O, and a few plates; minor occasional foxing. Provenance: long inscription* in ink on first free endpaper, dated 11 September 1794. ---- Dibner 30; Sparrow 184; Nissen, BBI 1883; Stafleu-C. 12.672; DSB XII, p.588; Norman 1990. - FIRST EDITION. AN IMPORTANT WORK THAT FIRST DEFINED THE FUNCTION OF INSECTS IN PLANT POLLINATION, AND 'PROVIDED DARWIN WITH EVIDENCE FOR HIS THEORY OF EVOLUTION' (DSB XII, p.588). A student of Ernst Ludwig… Read More

Paris: Mallet-Bachelier, 1859. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. 8vo (210x132 mm), ix, (1), 176, 4, 4 pp., 1 folding engraved plate. Bound at the end are two journal extracts by the author, I. From: Journal de Pharmacie et de Chimie, August 1858, and II. From: Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Vol. 53, August 2, 1858. Foxed, first and last pages waterstained at outer margins. Ownership stamp (Grandeau) on half title. Contemporary half calf with 4 raised bands, spine gilt. Author's dedication copy to Louis Grandeau, French chemist and professor at Nancy University; inscribed and signed by the author on first flyleaf. Interesting association copy. ---- Sparrow, Milestones of Science 173; Duveen 524; Russo, p. 131; Bolton, I, 795; Poggendorf, II, 737; En français dans le texte, n¡ 279. - First edition. Both Oersted and Wöhler had attempted to develop a new light metal - possibly aluminum. Henri… Read More

Basel: Froben & Episcopius, 1546. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. De ortu et causis subterraneorum lib. V. De natura eorum quae effluunt ex terra lib. IIII. De natura fossilium lib. X. De ueteribus & nouis metallis lib. II. Bermannus, siue De re metallica Dialogus. Interpretatio Germanica uocum rei metallicae, addito Indice foecundissimo.etc. Folio (315 x 205 mm). 487 pp., 26 nn leaves, 2 printers devices, 1 full-page woodcut and 23 woodcut initials. Later three-quarter calf, some wear and cracking to spine and boards, title with few ink spots to lower margin; text somewhat browned. A clean, broad-margined copy. --- Adams A 345. Sparrow 3. Honeyman 25. Horblit 2a, Norman 19, Hoover 14, PMM 79 (c.f). - FIRST EDITION OF THE "FIRST HANDBOOK OF MODERN SYSTEMATIC MINERALOGY," De natura fossilium, the third of five treatises in the present work (Horblit). Also included here are the first published work on physical geology (De… Read More

Florence: Giorgio Marescotti, 1583. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to (220 x 154 mm). [40], 621, [11] pp. Woodcut printer's device on title and at end, woodcut initials, some historiated. Variant title page with "Duce" in 9th line. Contemporary vellum (old remboitage binding), spine hand-lettered, faded blue edges. A few leaves with faint stains or mostly marginal spotting, fore edge with small ink stain affecting a few leaves to the end, title-page with small ink corrosion hole inside signature. Provenance: Savgiano(?) (early signature in ink on title); "B.M." (manuscript note on title); "M no. 2J" (early note in ink on title); Warren H. Corning, Library of the Holden Arboretum (bookplate to front pastedown). Very good copy, collated complete. ---- Dibner 20; PMM 97; Sparrow 34; Norman 432; Pritzel 1640; Adams C-20; BM/STC Italian p. 134; Cleveland Collections 122, Holden Arboretum Copy 2 (this copy). - THE VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF "THE FIRST TRUE TEXTBOOK OF… Read More

London: John Murray, 1871. First Edition, First Printings. Hardcover. Very Good. First Edition, First Printings. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. 8vo (189 x 129 mm). viii, 423 [1], 16; viii, [2], 475 [1], 16 pp., including half-titles, publisher's catalogue dated January 1871 at end of each volume, and several woodcut illustrations in text. Untrimmed and partially unopened. Original publishers green cloth (cloth little rubbed, spotted and soiled, corners bumped and frayed, slight wear to extremities), inner hinges cracked but holding. Internally very little age-toned, little foxing to endpapers, half-titles and adverts at end (else virtually unfoxed), short tear in blank fore-margin of vol. I, p.21/22. Provenance: Charles Robertson (inscribed on half-title and first flyleaf of vol. I). Still very good, unsophisticated set. ---- Freeman 245, Norman 599, Sparrow 48; Garrison-M. 170 - First edition, first issue of both volumes (with the errata on verso of title-leaf in vol. II and with the… Read More

Paris: [Chardon for] Cuchet, 1783. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 1783-1784. 2 volumes, 8vo (204x127 mm). Vol. 1: [i-iii] iv-xl, [1] 2-299, [3], [4] pp., 9 engraved plates (plate v as frontispiece), folding table; Vol. 2: [2], [1] 2-24, *24-24*, 25-62, [67] 68-366, [2] pp., 5 engraved plates (plate I as frontispiece). Contemporary green paste paper boards (light chipping along spine and edges). Internally crisp, with only very minor occasional spotting and toning, offsetting to a few plates, title and frontispiece of vol. 2 slightly soiled, leaves partially untrimmed. Provenance: Gaston Tissandier (ex-libris to front paste-downs); Aéro-club de France (ex-libris stamp and affixed deaccession card to first fly-leaves). A fine, wide margined set with interesting provenance. ---- Dibner, Heralds of Science 179; PMM 229; Norman 769; Sparrow, Milestones of Science 179; Tissandier p.21 (this copy). - FIRST EDITION, second issue, with the four page supplement. "THE FIRST… Read More

Leipzig: Veit, 1901. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 1901-03. 2 Vols., large 8vo (240x164 mm). xii, 648; xiv, 752 pp., many text illustr., 12 chromolithographed plates. Title with stamp and signature of former owner, vol. 2 somewhat foxed. Contemporary half calfs with gilt spines, slightly rubbed. Vol. 1 with red colored edges. Joint of vol. 2 front cover repaired, inner joint of back cover loosened, flyleaves renewed. Internally sound and clean. A beautiful set. ---- Dibner 36; Sparrow 194; Garrison-Morton 240; Horblit 73b; Norman 2169; Heirs of Hippocrates 1094. - FIRST EDITION. De Vries began an intensive study of Oenothera lamarckiana, a species of evening primrose, in 1886, after noticing a number of variants of the species. During his studies new forms appeared, and de Vries was able to formulate his Laws of Mutation, suggesting that new species developed through a series of small, random, and not necessarily useful changes ("mutations" or "saltations"). His theory… Read More

Braunschweig: Verlag Friedrich Vieweg u. Sohn, 1842. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. 8vo (207x132 mm). xvi, [2], 342, [2] pp. including half title. Contemporary cardboard with handwritten paper label; interior foxed throughout, half title with chipping to fore-edge. ---- Garrison-Morton 677; PMM 310b; Waller 5796; Wellcome III, p. 515; Norman 1351; Sparrow 133. - FIRST EDITION. "With this book Liebig introduced the concept of metabolism into physiology" (Garrison-Morton). Liebig envisioned his book, titled Die Thierchemie in later editions, as a complement to his researches into the chemistry of plants. In it he showed, "like Lavoisier, that animal heat is not innate, but the result of combustion, introduced the concept of metabolism (Stoffwechsel); and classified animal foodstuffs as fats, carbohydrates and proteins according to their function. He thus became the founder of the modern science of nutrition"… Read More

Paris: Gogue & Nee de la Rochelle, 1784. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo. (192x120 mm). [8], 236 pp. Half-title, 8 folding engraved plates by Sellier after Fossier. Contemporary quarter calf, spine gilt. Somewhat browned and foxed, half title stronger). ---- Dibner 92; Horblit 47; Sparrow 93; Norman 1021-1022, Ward & Carozzi, Geology Emerging, 1984: no. 1020; Wilson, History of Mineral Collecting, 1994: 53-6. - FIRST EDITION of the work that laid the foundation for the mathematical theory of crystal structure. Often thought of as the founder of crystallography, Hauy proposed the idea of the crystal molecule and recognized that, based on the discontinuity principle, there are limited varieties of a crystal species. (Dibner). Haüy's first printed book, this work was instrumental in establishing a solid foundation on which modern theories of crystal structure rest. In it, Haüy brought together the advances in crystallography made by Romé de l'Isle, Bergman and others… Read More

Neuchatel: Samuel Fauche pere et fils, 1783. 1st Edition. Soft cover. Near Fine. 1st Edition. Soft cover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. 8vo (220 x 148 mm). xii, 524 (i.e. 506) pp., 2 folding engraved plates and 11 tables (8 folding, 4 within pagination), some mispaginations (pp. 129-130, 155, 164-172 omitted). Signatures: a4 A-2H8 2I5. Contemporary brown wrappers, spine with ink-lettered paper label (heavy chipping and wear to spine, some fraying and dust-soiling of outer page margins, rear wrapper chipped), protected in custom-made slip case. scattered marginal spotting, occasional toning. All pages uncut. Text and plates quite crisp and clean, only very minor occasional spotting or soiling, two leaves (Aa2, Gg7) with closed tears without loss of text (one repaired). Provenance: Lagarde (cancelled ink inscription dated 1799 on title-page); Giancarlo Beltrame Library; pencil notes to half-title. A very good unsophisticated copy, collated complete. ---- Norman 1894; Sparrow, Milestones of Science… Read More

Nürnberg: In der Schrag'schen Buchhandlung, 1820. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo (199 x 118 mm). Entire volume: viii, 1-50, [4], 55-96, [4]; 101-204; 245-256, [4]; 261-384, [4]; 389-520, [4] pp., folding table facing p. 50 and 2 folding engraved plates; pp. 205-44 are skipped (pagination error). Contemporary sprinkled half calf over marbled boards, spine with some gilt tooling and gilt-lettered paper label, red-dyed edges (rebacked, corners slightly bumped, minor rubbing). Text with even light browning, occasional minor spotting. Provenance: Act. Ges. f. Anilin-Fabrikation* (ink stamps to front and rear pastedowns, title and a few text pages). A very good copy, collated and complete. ---- VERY RARE FIRST PUBLISHED EDITION of the announcement of the electromagnetic effect, preceeded ony by a half-sheet of text privately printed on behalf of the author the same year in a very small number and which is of utmost rarity. Also included in this volume is "Neuere… Read More

Paris: Crochard, 1820. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover. "8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾"" tall" "In: Annales de chimie et de physique, par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago. 8vo (210x135 mm). Whole volume 14 bound with vol. 13, 448 pp. and 3 plates. Contemporary half leather with gilt spine and two labels, somewhat rubbed. Small Jesuit rubber stamp to title pages. A fine copy. ---- PMM 282, Dibner 61, Sparrow 152, Norman 1606 (all citing private print); DSB X, 185. First French edition of Oersted's Latin paper. ""The 'Experimenta...' opened a new epoch in the history of physics. From it followed the creation of electrodynamics by Ampère and Faraday's 'Experimental Researches in Electricity'"" (DSB)."

Leipzig: E A. Brockhaus for Wilhelm Engelmann, 1842. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 1842-1843. 8vo (210 x 130 mm). [i-xi] xii-xxvi, [1] 2-289 [3]; [i-v] vi-xvii, [1] 2-564 pp., including half-titles, errata leaf at end of vol. I, pp. 225-240 misbound after p.272 in vol. I, errata on pp. [559]-564 in vol. II. Contemporary half cloth over marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt (head of spine chipped, extremities little rubbed and chipped, upper inner hinge cracked, corners bumped, front endpaper repaired, binding somewhat weak, tape residue to boards). Light browning and occasional minor spotting of text, some dog-earing and creasing to lower corner, little staining of second half title from formerly inserted pressed plant. Provenance: Botanische Staatssammlung München (library stamps to front flyleaf, half-title and some text pages, shelf mark in pencil to half-title). Still very good copy. Collated complete. ---- Dibner 31; Horblit 93b; Sparrow 177; Norman 1908;… Read More

London: Peter Elmsly, 1798. 1st Edition. Soft cover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Soft cover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. 4to (292 x 235 mm). Entire volume (part I) offered: vi, 199 [1], 26 pp., 7 folding engraved plates and folding table. All pages uncut. Original blue wrappers, spine hand-lettered in ink (paper dust-soiled and spotted, paper over spine heavily rubbed and chipped towards spine ends, edges slightly frayed, corners dog-eared). Text and plates with light even browning, minor dust-soiling to outer margins, occasional pale dampstaining at outer margins, more pronounced on first 8 pages of The Meteorological Journal appendix (not affecting the paper by Thompson). Provenance: Benjamin Hyett Esq. (signature on front wrapper). A very good, completely unsophisticated copy. ---- Dibner Heralds of Science 151, Sparrow Milestones of Science 189, Norman 2073 - FIRST EDITION. Rumford discovered for the first time by experiment that heat is induced by friction, and he worked out a surprisingly… Read More

Stuttgart und Tübingen: Cotta, Krais & Hoffmann, 1845. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung. Volume 1 to 5. Stuttgart und Tübingen: Cotta, 1845-1862. 8vo (210 x 129 mm). Atlas zu Alexander von Humboldt's Kosmos. Stuttgart: Krais & Hoffmann, [1851]. Oblong folio (283 x 337 mm). Text volumes: xvi, 493 [1]; [2], 544; [2], 644, [2]; [2], 649 [1]; [2], 1297 [1] pp. Vol. III with folding letterpress table facing p. 570 and final errata leaf. Atlas volume: [6], 136 pp. With 42 numbered plates, including 39 hand-colored lithographs (nos. 1-34, 38-42), 3 steel-engravings (nos. 35-37) and few text illustration. Text volumes uniformly bound in contemporary half calf over percaline boards, spines lettered and ruled in gilt and with raised bands, corners reinforced with brass caps, yellow endpapers (minor wear of extremities with partial chipping of cloth over board edges, corners bumped and scuffed). The text… Read More

London: W. Innys, 1729. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. 4to (215 x 168 mm). Entire volume offered: [6], 293-661 [1] pp., including general title, drop titles for individual numbers, content leaves outside pagination, and 14 engraved folding plates. Contemporary panelled calf (spine rebacked, extremities worn, corners heavily scuffed. Text and plates somewhat browned, dust-soiled (some pages stronger), occasional spotting, the general title creased, some creasing, dog-earing elsewhere, 2 leaves after title detached. Provenance: John Waterhouse Halifax, Halifax Literary & Philosophical Society (bookplates to front pastedown). ---- Sparrow 28; Evans 21. FIRST EDITION of the letter by James Bradley about the discovery of the aberration of light. "The explanation of the phenomenon placed Bradly among the great astronomers of the 18th century" (Evans). Bradly is best known for two fundamental discoveries in astronomy, the aberration of light, and the… Read More

Florence: Nella Stamper. di S. A. R. Per Jacopo Guiducci, 1715. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to (250 x 180 mm). xlix [1], 96, [2] pp. Half title, title with engraved device of the Accademia della Crusca, engraved portrait of the author after Pietro Anichini, imprimatur leaf bound at the end, woodcut initials and ornaments, 3 woodcut illustrations in text. Contemporary limp vellum, spine with hand lettering in ink and printed shelf-mark paper label (minor worming to board edges, spotting and dust soiling of vellum, head of spine chipped). Text crisp and clean with only very minor occasional spotting, ink smudge to title verso. Provenance: Avvocato Ferrara, Biblioteca Mario Dotti (paper label to front pastedown and foot of spine), cancelled old ownership inscription on final flyleaf. A fine, unpressed copy in contemporary Italian binding. ---- FIRST EDITION of these twelve posthumously-published lectures delivered to the Accademia della Crusca, the Studio Fiorentino… Read More