FOURCROY, [Antoine François] de.
Leçons Élémentaires d’Histoire Naturelle et de Chimie; dans lesquelles on s’est proposé, 1º. de donner un ensemble méthodique des connoissances chimiques acquises jusqu’à ce jour; 2º. d’offrir un tableau comparé de la doctrine de Stahl & de celle de quelques Modernes: pour servir de résumé à un cours complet sur ces deux sciences.
A Paris: Rue et Hôtel Serpente. .1782
2 volumes, 8vo, 2 leaves, pp. lxxxviii, 584; 2 leaves, 848 pages, 1 leaf, 4 folding letterpress tables and 1 folding engraved plate. Contemporary mottled calf, spines gilt in compartments with red and black morocco labels, red edges, marbled endpapers. The black labels rubbed, small hole near top of spine of vol. 2, but a fine set. Small stamp on versos of half-titles.
FIRST EDITION. This was Fourcroy’s first major publication. It is a résumé of the course of seventy lectures that he gave each winter in his laboratory and contains a comprehensive account of all parts of chemistry, including recent work on gases. Fourcroy also included sections concerned with the analysis of animal fluids and solids and their application to medicine. In this first edition Fourcroy did not yet adopt Lavoisier’s theories completely, and he included unbiased accounts of rival theories. Only in the preliminary discourse to the second edition of 1786 did he renounce the phlogiston theory. The book became very popular, running to several later editions and translations. Cole 459. Duveen pp. 224–225. Neville I, p. 468. Partington III, p. 537.I. Smeaton, Fourcroy, pp. 8, 96–98 and 177–180; bibliography no. 1.
£1,250.00
In stock
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