Des Pierres précieuses et des Pierres fines, avec les moyens de les connoitre & de les évaluer
by DUTENS, Louis
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
2 p.l., xii, 124, [4] pp. 12mo, cont. blond calf (two corners a tiny bit worn), triple gilt fillet round sides, spine finely gilt with chevrons "à la grotesque," red morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris: F.A. Didot & De Bure, 1776. First edition of this introduction to precious stones written for collectors and jewelers; according to the author this is the first complete treatise on precious stones. Dutens describes the chief varieties including diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc. He has also provided an interesting table at the end of current prices of diamonds of increasing carats. In the Preface, Dutens reviews the writings on precious stones of earlier authors including Pliny, Theophrastus, Boyle, and Romé de l'Isle. This work is a notable work in typography as well: it is the first book printed by François Ambroise Didot, l'aîné (1730-1804), who promoted technical innovation in printing and papermaking and introduced the new form of typographical measurement, the "point Didot." We quote from the 1783 catalogue of Mérard de Saint-Just: "Ce petit Traité est le premier Ouvrage sorti des presses de M. Didot l'aîné, où l'on ait aperçu cette supériorité de talents qui l'a mis tout de suite au-dessus de tous ses confrères de France, d'Italie, d'Allemagne et de Hollande, et qui l'associe dès lors à la gloire de Baskerville, et surtout à celle d'Ibarra."-from André Jammes' wonderful Les Didots catalogue, no. 73. Dutens (1730-1812), diplomat and man of letters, edited the works of Leibniz (1768), was a fellow of the Royal Society, and was historiographer to the King of England. An uncommonly fine copy. ❧ Sinkankas 1819-"Dutens' work did provide useful accurate information and received acclaim and wide distribution.".
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc. (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 6040
- Title
- Des Pierres précieuses et des Pierres fines, avec les moyens de les connoitre & de les évaluer
- Author
- DUTENS, Louis
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Keywords
- gems, mineralogy, natural history, science
Terms of Sale
Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.
5 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 5 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.
Biblio member since 2009
New York, New York
About Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.
By appointment
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 12mo
- A duodecimo is a book approximately 7 by 4.5 inches in size, or similar in size to a contemporary mass market paperback. Also...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...