1771 Memoire sur L'Acier Scarce 1st Ed Fold Plate Metallurgy Swords Knives Steel

Description: Memoire Sur L'Acier, Dans Lequel on Traite Des Differentes Qualities De Ce Metal, De La Forge, Du Bon Employ & De La Trempe. Ouvrage Couronne' Par La Societe Des Arts De Geneve, Le 19 December 1771 Perret, Jean-Jacques Paris Veuve Desaint & Nyon. 1771 Leather 8vo 8" - 9" tall Is viii + 214 pp + approbation. Condition of this scarce first edition is fair-good antiquarian. It is an octavo measuring 5" x 8" bound in what appears to be original figured calf with marbled edges. The spine and front cover of the leather appear to have suffered a scorching in a few spots - you can see the dark areas on the photos. Joints cracking and tender as is common for bindings of this era. Original marbled endpapers, nice headers and tail pieces, pagination is viii + 214 pp + approbation and the plate at the rear, as called for. Inside back covers has some old notations in pencil, some foxing as normal, but otherwise clean and unmarked. Folding plate. This is the first edition of a scarce work written by Perret, a master cutler, a maker of knives and surgical instruments for the greatest surgeons of the time and written for the "artists and workers" who used steel in their work. Accordingly, it is very technical work, with information such as "cast steel cannot be used for objects that need to be welded to iron, as it can only be united to other steel and even then care is required if it is to succeed". Jean-Jacques Perret was born in 1730 in Beziers, France, son of a cutler, his adventure with cutlery started at the very young age of 12. After learning the trade Perret got involved with surgeons and his specialty quickly began towards surgical instruments. Of course razors were a big part of surgical instruments at this point in history and Perret not only made razors but is credited by some historians in the field as being the "father of the safety razor". His "La pogonotomie" or "the art of shaving oneself" contains the safety razor precusor. In 1771 he wrote another book "L'Art du Coutelier" or the art of the cutler, the most important work on cutlery at the time, which goes into all phase of cutlery from metal choice to forging, grinding, etc. This 1779 work looks at the basic material used in knives, swords, razors, etc. - steel. In it his examines the different qualities of the metal, its uses, its forging and the tempering process. With a marvelous large folding engraved plate. A nice if somewhat eccentric copy of this unusual first edition of an important work on steel, its uses, forging and tempering, from one of the most important cutlers of the 18th century. Memoire Sur L'Acier, Dans Lequel on Traite Des Differentes Qualities De Ce Metal, De La Forge, Du Bon Employ & De La Trempe. Ouvrage Couronne' Par La Societe Des Arts De Geneve, Le 19 December 1771 WE ARE LOCATED IN CANADA but we can ship using USPS International Customers -- we may be able to ship more cheaply than we show - please e-mail us to see what we can offer to your location. US Customers - We ship twice or more a week using the US Postal Service via our courier from Canada to our mailing address in New York and then on to US addresses.We are able to offer competitive rates with this service, but if you require quicker shipping, please inquire. For books over $799 we may ship via CanadaPost from Toronto. Canadian customers -- we may have to charge HST/GST for Canadian purchases (generally 5% for books). However, shipping is generally lower than on ebay's shipping cost calculator. Email me with your province and I'll be happy to calculate HST and shipping. We are happy to combine shipping! For our international customers, import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them with additional shipping charges. We really cannot show merchandise below value or mark items as "gifts" - it can get us into all kinds of trouble with customs. Since Brexit, shipping to the UK may require a VAT invoice. We have been selling books for over 20 years and pack and ship them with care. Thanks for bidding and thanks for being a fellow book lover. See our other listings for more unusual and rare books.

Price: 295 USD

Location: Niagara Falls, New York

End Time: 2024-09-18T22:08:55.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.75 USD