392. Belidor (Bernard Forest de) Architecture Hydraulique, ou l'Art de Conduire, d'Elever, et de Menager les Eaux pour les Differens Besoins de la Vie, 4 vol., half-title, engraved portrait, 2 frontispieces and 219 folding plates, occasional browning and spotting, contemporary mottled calf, all vol. rebacked, preserving original backstrips, spines gilt, rubbed and chipped, [Brunet I, 740], 4to, Paris, Charles-Antoine-Jombert, 1737-1753.
est. £750 – £1000
A study of enormous value to 18th century engineers. Belidor’s was the first work of its kind to apply integral calculus to practical problems. It tackles problems involving transport, shipbuilding, canals, lighthouses and fountains, amongst many others.