TRAITE SUR LA SCIENCE DE L'EXPLOITATION DES MINES, PAR THEORIE ET PRATIQUE,

Paris, Philippe-Denys Pierres, 1778.. avec un Discours sur les principes des finances; fait pour l'Academie Imperiale & Royale de Schemnitz, par CHRISTOPHE-FRANCOIS DELIUS, Conseiller-Commissaire de la Cour de Sa Majeste Imperiale, Royale, Apostolique & Romaine, a sa Chambre des Monnoies & Mines. FIRST FRENCH EDITION 1778, 2 volumes, complete set, translated into French by M. Schreiber. 4to, approximately 260 x 190 mm, 10 x 7½ inches, printer's device on title pages, large pictorial headpiece to each volume, 25 large folding plates engraved by Boutrois, I-XI in Volume I, XII-XXV in Volume 2, complete, with descriptions of all the plates at the end of Volume II, pages: [4], xxii, [2], 1-518, [2]; [6], 1-454, [2], complete with half-titles, bound in old speckled paper boards rebacked in calf at sometime, raised bands, blind rules, contrasting red and green gilt lettered morocco labels, original endpapers retained. Boards a little marked, scratched and slightly stained, corners just slightly worn, endpapers spotted and dusty, very occasional light foxing, small damp stain to upper outer corner in Volume I showing intermittently from page 143 to the end, not affecting plates, margins of plates lightly foxed. Bindings tight and firm. A very good set of the French edition. This is a translation of the German work Anleitung zu der Bergbaukunst first published in Vienna in 1773. Delius (1728-1779) was a German metallurgist and mineralogist born in Saxony who held posts in Vienna in the Mining Department, was appointed inspector of mines in Hungary in 1761 and was also Professor of Mining Engineering and Finance in the famous Mining Academy in Banska Stiavnica (Schemnitz) in the then Kingdom of Hungary. He discovered a new process for the extraction of copper and located a precious opal mine in Hungary. He wrote treatises on the origin of mountains and ore veins, and on the Hungarian opals as well as this work on the science of mine engineering. The folding plates show mining equipment and tools including a first aid kit for assisting drowned or asphyxiated miners, mining structures, buildings and machinery, cross-sections of mines and mineral deposits. See: John Sinkankas, Gemology, An Annotated Bibliography, Volume I, page 262, No. 1630; Sotheby's, New York, Scientific Library of Joseph Freilich, page 135, No.153; Catalogue of the Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature, Volume 1, page 572, No. 11673; Sotheby, The Honeyman Collection of Scientific Books, Part II, No. 849. Heavy books whic may require extra shipping costs. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.