Traitte d'horlogiographie, contentant plusieurs manieres de construire sur toutes surfaces toutes sortes de lignes horaires, & autres cercles de la Sphere. by SAINTE MARIE MAGDELEINE, Pierre de - 1674

Lyon:: Francois Demasso, 1674., 1674. Small 8vo. [xiv], 324pp. [Signatures: [1], a6, A-V8, X2]. Additional engraved title, woodcut initial letters, tailpieces, and 81 engraved plates (plates numbered 1 to 72 [the last is a double-page folding pl.], + plates 18a, b, c, d, 31a, 36a and 52a, b, c), errata. Pages 58, 206 and 220 are wrongly numbered 52, 106 and 120 respectively. Nineteenth century quarter vellum, marbled paper over boards; slightly rubbed and soiled, a few gatherings browned, fore-margin of a few plates cut close sometimes shaving a plate number or illustration. Very good copy. Fourth edition, revised and augmented with added material and figures. A fine horological work, mostly given to gnomonic instruments, detailing sundials and other chronographs. The author gives a method of telling time at night by means of measuring the moon and stars. The first edition was issued in 1641 by Melchior Tavernier, and contained 59 engraved plates. A second edition was issued in 1645. All editions are rare. / This work is rare and little known, not being recorded by Baillie, Bromley, Delalande, Poggendorff, Graesse, Brunet, and others. Besides being a treatise on clockmaking, the author also offers material on astronomy, navigation, currents and tides, instruments with illustrations and notes on usage, tables of latitudes of cities, zodiacal data, and more. This work remained in print as late as 1701. Little is known of Father Pierre de Saint Marie Magdeleine, a member of the Congregation des Feuillants, a reformed branch of the Cistercians. REFERENCES: Barchas Collection 1659 (Paris, 1663); BM Readex, XX, p. 325 (under Pierre de. . . .) (1st ed., Paris, 1641, 3rd ed., 1665); Zeitlinger, (Sotheran, 2nd Suppl., Vol. I, p. 315) (Paris, 1701). FULL TITLE: Traitte d'horlogiographie: contenant plusieurs manieres de construire sur toutes surfaces toutes sortes de lignes horaires, & autres cercles de la sphere: avec qvelqves instrumens pour la mesme pratique, & pour connoistre les heures durant la nuict, & l'heure du flus & reflus de la Mer. Avec les deux boussoles qui sont en usage pour la navigation de deux mers. Plus, la methode de couper en pierre, ou en bois les corps reguliers & autres polyedres, par le cube & par la cylindre / par Dom Pierre de Sainte Marie Magdeleine d'Abevilee se la Congregation des Fueillans.