29. Duhamel du Monceau (Henri Louis) Élémens de l’Architecture Navale, ou Traité Pratique de la Construction des Vaisseaux, second edition, engraved frontispiece and vignette on title & dedication, charming engraved vignettes at head of each chapter, 24 engraved plates on 22 folding sheets, some light soiling or browning, contemporary bookseller’s label “Se vend à Bayonne, chez Trebosc, Libraire” on front pastedown, contemporary mottled calf, spine gilt in compartments with red morocco label (slightly chipped), rubbed, a little worn at edges, corners and spine ends, [Polak 2860; Scott Coll. 288; cf. Berlin Kat. 1458, first edition], 4to, Paris, C.-A.Jombert, 1758.
est. £400 – £600
Duhamel du Monceau (1700-1782) was an engineer and botanist who devoted most of his working life to the field of vegetable physiology. For many years he was inspector general of the marine, and he used his scientific knowledge to improve naval construction.