Search Results: Industrial Revolution from Lorne Bair Rare Books

London: Lockwood & Co, 1870. First Thus. Fifth edition, "corrected and considerably enlarged." Quarto (29cm). Rebound in modern brown half calf, with marbled paper-covered boards, titled in gold on spine; plain endpapers; xxii, 336pp; with portrait frontispiece, 64 plates (some folding), and numerous in-text wood engravings, complete. Plates 1-53 are line engravings; 54-64 are lithographs. A sturdy copy, with faint moisture spotting to leather corners, some dirt to top edge, occasionally affecting top margins; some minor dampstaining on plates 29, 37, 62-4, and the outer corner of the appendix; with minor foxing, a Very Good copy. Thomas Tredgold (1788-1829) was a carpenter, self-taught engineer, and prolific author of technical works on engineering. This book, first published in 1820, was one of his most important, addressing the use of timber in "floors, roofs, bridges, and other structures," and including early, data-driven research on resistance. Though Tredgold's "insufficient mathematical… Read More

Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1854. Folio in fours (38cm) in two volumes. In contemporary half black leather with black cloth over boards, gilt roll at seams, tooled and titled in gilt on spine, all edges sprinkled red; plain endpapers; vol. I: [ii], [i]-x, [1]-244, [ii], [vii]-viii,[1]-128pp; vol. I with 3 plates and numerous in-text wood engravings, vol. II with engraved title page and 85 full-page or double-page plates numbered I-CXXXIII. Externally handsome, if mildly rubbed, with slight wear to joints; internally with some toning and occasional foxing, some plate guards renewed, but generally clean, straight, and sturdy: Very Good. With directions to the binder below the list of plates, requesting that double plates be "mounted on stout guards, of sufficient length to allow of their opening quite flat," to "permit of measurements being accurately made upon them by compasses" (viii). A handbook on machines, engines, and engine parts, written to enhance the "professional education of the practical… Read More

London: [Her Majesty's Commissioners], 1862. First Edition. Folio (37cm). Green library buckram, backed in green morocco, stamped in gilt on spine and front board, all edges sprinkled green, top edge stained grey; plain endpapers; [viii], 183,[3],1-119,[1],63,[1],1-6 7* 7** 8-111, [1], 91, [1], 115, [1]pp; 3 inserted plates and numerous in-text wood engravings, some large. Ex-library, with discard stamp to front pastedown and pencil notes to endpapers. Straight and sturdy, with minor shelfwear, first two leaves repaired at the upper margin, occasional scattered foxing and minor fingersoil but largely clean: Very Good. "A descriptive catalog of the industrial exhibits. Volumes 1 and 2 are devoted to the industries of Great Britain. . . At the beginning of volume 1 is 'A concise history of the International Exhibition of 1862' by John Hollingshead." With sections on mining and metallurgy; chemicals and pharmaceuticals; food products; "Animal and Vegetable Substances used in Manufactures"; railroads… Read More

Glasgow: William MacKenzie, [1852-56]. Folio (39cm). Half-bound in black leather, purple cloth over boards, with double gilt roll along edges of cloth; grey-green endpapers; engraved title and dedication, frontispiece, 78 inserted plates (many double-page spreads), and numerous in-text wood engravings. Binder's ticket of E. Griffiths & Son, Birkenhead. Lacking 22 plates listed in the table of contents, but bound with an extra copy of Niagara Throstle II. A straight copy, rubbed, joints cracking, hinges reinforced with cloth (internally), foxing to endpapers but text and plates largely clean, though slightly toned: Very Good. An overview of industrial technology, with numerous detailed engraved plates depicting machinery for numerous industries, including steam engines, weaving, mills, and more.

London: John Weale, 1860-1. Stated second edition of Hodgkinson's revision. Octavo (22cm). Brown blindstamped cloth, rebacked with modern brown cloth; brick red coated endpapers; [x],384, 32pp; 32pp publisher's catalogue at rear; 9 engraved plates. Rebacked, corners bumped, one or two spots of foxing: Very Good. A "pioneering work on the strength of cast iron," first published in 1822 (Bibliotheca Mechanica p.326). This edition includes "added experimental researches on the strength and other properties of cast iron" by Hodgkinson.Tredgold's works on carpentry, steam engines, and cast iron became "standard textbooks of English engineers," despite their mathematical flaws (ODNB). John Weale, an architectural publisher, kept many revised Tredgold titles in print.

London: M. Taylor, 1836. First Thus. Third edition, with the first appearance of Bramah's Appendix. Octavo (22.5cm). In half brown calf, rebacked in tan calf, with marbled paper over boards, titled in gold on black leather spine label; modern endpapers; xvi, 347pp; 12 engraved plates, complete, with plate 9 bound upside-down. Ex-library, with stamps from the Durham Mechanics' Institute to plate versos. A square, tight copy, rubbed at edges, with minor marginal dirt, offsetting from plates, and dampstaining to rear endpapers: Good or better. This title was first published in 1824. The 1836 edition was the first with an essay by Timothy Bramah on heating systems that circulated hot liquid water (as opposed to Tredgold's favored steam) and three accompanying plates. Thomas Tredgold (1788-1829) was a self-taught engineer and widely read technical author who published on timber and carpentry, cast iron, railroads and carriages, steam engines, and steam ships. Several of his works became "the standard… Read More

Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1845. First Edition. Octavo (23cm.); publisher's cream printed wrappers; 23pp. Wrappers rather dust-soiled, tiny chips at spine ends, else Very Good and sound. Faint ink inscription to upper cover: "Hon S.P.P. Fay with the respects of the author." Letter composed by the treasurer of the Hamilton Manufacturing Company, addressed to Congressman Pendleton following negative commentary made during a visit to Lowell, Massachsuetts, regarding Northern industrialists accruing massive wealth off cotton mills while supporting tarriffs. SABIN 11219.

Glasgow: William MacKenzie, [1863]. First Edition. First printing. Quarto (28.5cm). In full leather, blind-stamped with Prince Albert and shields of participating nations on boards, and symbols of the exhibition contents (plow, mining equipment, exhibition hall) on spine, titled in gold on spine, all edges marbled; blue and red marbled endpapers; iv, 592pp; illustrated title page, 18 engraved plates, and 14 full-page relief plates, as well as extensive numerous in-text wood engravings. A straight, sound copy with minor shelf wear, small ink stain to lower edge of text block, scattered foxing and minor thumbsoiling, pl. 9 spotted and creased, but overall a sturdy, appealing copy: Very Good. A resource on Victorian industrial technology, manufacture, architecture, and fine and decorative arts, as well as natural resources and some trade statistics. It includes extensive material on the print trades (3pp essay on chromolithography, 5pp on paper, 12pp on presses and typefounding), with a note on the… Read More

Providence: Hutchens & Cory, 1829. First Edition. First printing. Octavo (21.5cm). Recent quarter-calf with marbled paper over boards, titled in gilt on spine, all edges sprinkled; [vi], 364, [2]pp; frontispiece, 3 inserted plates, and in-text diagrams and illustrations. Copyright slip laid down on title page verso. Errata leaf at rear. Two leaves of manuscript notes laid in, headed "Extracts from Fairbanks on Mills & Mill Work." Rebound but sturdy, 2 plates with slightly clumsy repairs, generally browned with scattered foxing: Good. Allen "played an important role as a disseminator of new technology through both the practical example of his factories and as a lecturer and author." This, "[h]is most notable work, . . . discussed the rudiments of mechanical science and their practical applications in industry and engineering" (ANB). AMERICAN IMPRINTS 37424. RINK 822.

London: John Weale, 1838. First Edition. First printing. Octavo (23cm). Brown cloth, blindstamped, titled in gilt on spine; yellow coated endpapers; [i]-xv [16]-320,8pp; eight-page publisher's catalogue advertising other engineering works; folding frontispiece and 14 engraved plates, some folding, and numerous in-text wood engravings. A sturdy copy with repair to front joint, edges rubbed, with corners and small patch of lower board exposed, internally clean, plates bright: Good or better. Stevenson toured the U.S. and Canada, and reported on harbors, lake and river navigation, steam technology, fuel, canals, roads, bridges, railroads, water-works, and lighthouses. Weale was a distinguished British technical and architectural publisher. SABIN 91589.

London: John Weale, 1851. Quarto (31.5cm) in two vols. In full black contemporary morocco, tooled in gold, with titles on spines, all edges sprinkled mottled red and black; yellow coated endpapers; vol I: vi, [1]-340, [ii], [1]-42, [1]-52, [1]-20, [1]-8pp; vol. II [ii], [viii]-[x], plates; 94 plates, including 9 plates intended for volume 3 (not present). With ownership stamps of Ernst Dreyer, Altona, on flyleaves and title pages. A bright and handsome set, gently rubbed at edges; hinge of vol. 2 cracked through but holding; with occasional spots of foxing but largely clean: Very Good or better. A beautiful copy of an important manual on marine steam engines from the collection of a German shipbuilder. These two volumes form the second section of the 1850-3 edition of Tredgold's Steam Engine (parts one and three discussed locomotive and stationary engines). This volume includes illustrations or diagrams of such notable ships as HMS Megaera, one of the first iron ships ordered by the British Royal… Read More

London: Longmans, Green and Co, 1876. Eleventh edition. Quarto (30cm). Rebound in modern brown calf, titled in gold on leather spine labels; plain modern endpapers; [i]-vii, [xi]-xii, [i-ii], [ix]-x, [i-ii], [1]-495pp; portrait frontispiece with tissue guard, 37 engraved plates (some folding), and 546 in-text wood engravings. Printed in two columns. With the embossed mark of the Birmingham Free Library to title page and plates. Tears at folds of plates XI and XVIII neatly mended with archival tissue tape; large tears at folds of plates XVII, XXIV, and XXV repaired with paper; pl XXIV with a thin, two-inch hole. A tight, fresh binding, with minor dirt to upper margins throughout, some thumbsoiling to initial leaves, and occasional offsetting to folding plates, overall a sturdy copy: Good or better. John Bourne, an engineer and surveyor, published several works on steam engines that were reprinted numerous times through the second half of the nineteenth century. This book combines a history of steam… Read More

London: Virtue & Co, n.d. [but ca. 1860]. Quarto (33cm). In original brown cloth boards stamped in blind, rebacked in reddish tan leather with title in gilt on brown leather spine label; plain endpapers; viii, [i]-vi [7]-72, [1-2], [1]-12, [1]-40, [1]-44, [1]-68, [1]-12, [1]-8, [1]-16, [1]-4, [1]-4, [1]-32, [1]-4, [1]-8pp; with 62 folding plates and numerous in-text wood engravings, complete. A sturdy copy, though rebacked and externally rubbed, with mild foxing, occasional dirt to fore-edges, and minor damage to plates, as follows: two plates with small perforations to fore-edge, two plates with small perforations at gutter, one plate with minor tears at folds, neatly mended, three plates reinforced wtih paper strips, front free endpaper creased with minor perforations repaired; but largely clean, on the whole a Good or better copy. A reprint of articles on steam locomotives and stationary engines, from the 1850s edition of Thomas Tredgold's treatise The Steam Engine. The publisher, James Sprent… Read More

London: Virtue & Co, n.d. [but 1860]. Quarto (33cm). In original brown publisher's cloth, stamped in blind on boards, titled on spines in gold; yellow coated endpapers; vol. I: viii, 342, 34, 52, 19, [1], 5. [3]pp; vol. II: vi, 44, 52, 8, 8, 16, 68, 32pp; with 166 engraved plates (56 in vol. I and 109 in vol. II), many folding. Ex-library stamps from the Institute of Marine Engineers to front free endpapers. Plates in vol. 2 numbered in pencil, occasionally incorrectly. Tight, sturdy bindings, reinforced at heads, tails, and hinges, one plate in vol. I reinforced at lower margin with cellotape; one plate torn; slight dirt to top edges of many plates, occasional spots of foxing: Good. James Sprent Virtue (1829-1892) purchased the Rudimentary Series of engineering and scientific publications from Thomas Tredgold's publisher John Weale some time in the 1850s. It appears that he also took over the publication rights to Tredgold's Steam Engine. Marine Engines and Boilers is not a straightforward reprint… Read More

Nimes: Bureaux de "L'Emancipation, 1896. First Edition. Octavo (25cm). Printed paper wrappers; 136pp. Mild wear, with age-darkening to text; pages unopened; Very Good. Study of the social projects of Robert Owen, including his utopian communities in the U.S. and his industrial experiments at New Lanark. Fabre (1839-1922) was a prominent French industrialist, himself a promoter of co-operative and utopian ideas, many of them based upon Owen's model.