Chemistry Theoretical, Practical & Analytical, as Applied and Relating to the Arts and Manufactures

Glasgow, Edinburg, London and New York: William Mackenzie, 1860. Cloth. Very Good. 2 volumes complete. 8 x 11 inches. Vol 1: Portrait Frontispiece + Engraved title + 29 portraits (one per leaf) + Printed title + [1 dedication], [1 blank], 9 (index), [1 blank], 836 pages. Vol 2: Portrait Frontispiece + Engraved title + Regular title + 1186, 10 (index) pages. A total of 31 engraved portraits and both an engraved and printed title page in each volume. Volume 1 covers ACE-ETH Volume 2 FUEL-ZINC. Soundly rebound in modern maroon cloth with paper spine labels and new endpapers. Vol 1's front matter and set of engraved portraits w/tissues are all dampstained. In both volumes there are occasional edge tears and smudges (most prevalent in Vol 2's index), but for the most part the set is bright and clean, and as rebound constitutes a sound reference or working copy. Cloth. Neville (II/203) notes that there is a preface dated 1860 which although it is found in some copies, is not present in this copy, nor in other examples we've seen. Neville notes that "The present work is really a masterpieces, as it provides an essentially complete picture of the state of chemistry and chemical technology in the middle of the nineteenth century". While this volume is undated, it is c1860 and is distinguished from the later edition of the late 1870s by the inclusion of the portraits of 18th and 19th century chemists. The later edition which Neville notes was only Muspratt's in name, replaced these with many detailed plates of chemical processing plants. The present work also contains over 1000 woodcuts in the text, and is a useful visual reference to 19th century chemical technology for that reason.

Neville, Historical Chemical Library.