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Contributor: Besson, Jacques (1534?-1573?), author; Beroald [or Béroalde de] Verville, Francois (1556-1626), commentator on ilBiblio.com

THEATRE DES INSTRV- mens Mathematiques & // Mechaniques de Iaques // Besson Dauphinois do- // cte Mathematicien. // AVEC L'INTERPRETA- // tion des Figures d' iceluy // Par FRANÇOIS BEROALD. // A LYON // Par Barthelemy Vincent // Auec Priuilege du Roy. // M. D. LXXIX.

1579réf. B6621A Lyon: Par Barthelemy Vincent M.D. LXXIX. 1579. . A near fine example reinforcement on margin of leaf B4. Plates are clean and crisp. Binding: Full embossed cotemporary pigskin with central medallion; spine expertly rebacked saving the original with six 6 raised bands gilt lettered title on Morocco label on two; all edges sprinkled red. Notes: Text in Middle French. Second French edition after its first of 1578; first Lyon French edition with commentaries to illustrations by Beroald de Verville. "In 1578 after the death of Besson c. 1572 the Theater of Mathematical and Mechanical Instruments was published in Geneva a work in which we note an evolution in turning techniques with the appearance of the first mandrels and first fixed glasses. Other Geneva editions will follow in French Latin Italian German and finally Spanish until 1602. in rue de la Harpe opposite Saint-Cosme presented twenty-one models of machines eleven of which were executed from the plates of Jacques Besson. … The work belongs to … a genre consisting of presenting series of engravings of instruments and machines often newly invented. These printed writings are used by the inventors in order to protect their invention and to guarantee their right in an irrefutable way. These printed ‘machine’ books appeared in France at the end of the 16th century when the formation of the intermediate class of technicians crystallized grouped together today under the name of engineers. These engineers first appeared in Italy in the 15th century then in Germany and finally in France. … Besson's book which is unanimously considered to be the first true "machine theatre" marks a break with its passage to print. There are sixty figures in all each occupying a full page. Each engraving is accompanied by a legend indicating the manner of construction and its function. … Besson presents four major series of machines: machines for raising water mills cranes and winches. He often suggests ways to multiply the force in order to be able to replace two or three workers with one." “When King Charles IX of France made a royal visit to Orléans in 1569 Besson presented to the King a draft of his new treatise what was to become the Theatrum Instrumentorum. and returned with him to Paris as "master of the King's Engines". Charles gave Besson exclusive rights to his designs in that same year. While employed by the court Besson also created an ingenious screw-cutting lathe that was semi-automatic in that the operator only needed to pull and release a cord. … Besson's Theatrum Instrumentorum Theater of Machines was completed and published in 1571 or 1572. It was a unique work; previously works on engineering and technology such as Valturio's De re militari 1472 Biringuccio's Pirotechnia 1540 and Agricola's De re metallica 1556 had had only limited descriptions of new inventions or recounted inventions of the past without much detail. In contrast Besson's work was a collection of his own new inventions with detailed illustrations of each engraved by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau to his specifications. Some of his designs suggested important improvements to lathes and the waterwheel. The Latin captions to the highly detailed drawings were sparse however which would seem to indicate that the text was probably produced in a hurry. Even the title page does not give the name of the printer or the date of publication. The rush in publishing the book may have been due to the crackdown on French Protestants that culminated in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572. … Although Besson was favoured by King Charles IX he feared the increasing anti-Protestant sentiment in France and emigrated to England shortly after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572 where he died in 1573. … The Theatrum Instrumentorum had proved so popular that a second edition appeared in 1578 with more detailed descriptions of the instruments and machines by François Béroalde de Verville. The copper plates from the original edition were reused except for four which were replaced by new engravings produced by René Boyvin.” Size: Folio 342x238mm. Illustration: Illustrated allegorical wood engraved title; large ornamental and floral woodcut initials head- and tailpieces; moreover sixty 60 insert wood engraved plates depicting mathematical and mechanical instruments and inventions. Provenance: Upper pasted endpaper with a bookplate black ink manuscript ownership note dated 1588. Pages: Ll: bl. 20 60 ill bl.; collation: bl. illustrated title A2-E4 engraved plates numbered 1-60; bl. Category: Book Early Printed 1500; Book Plate Books General; Book Science & Technology; Par Barthelemy Vincent, M.D. LXXIX. hardcover

Alexandre Antique Prints, Maps & Books · Canada15 000,00 $US≈ 13 401,24 €

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