Technology

Bulletin de la Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale. Vingt-Sixiéme Annèe (No. CCLXXX.) Octobre 1827. Imprimirie de Madame Huzard.  A single issue: "Arts Méchaniques" and "Arts Chimiques," 10" x 8", disbound. [339-] 378 pp., 3 folding plates. Edges uncut, a very few brown spots, overall a Very Good copy.  $25.

The Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale was founded in 1801 by Chaptal, Thénard and Dumas, and functioned to spread public knowledge of useful advances. This issue of the Bulletin contains three articles on mechanical inventions: (1) An account of an optical glass polishing machine invented by M. Legey, (2) A description of a mill to grind materials for ceramic piping, and (3), a description of a machine for cutting bricks, tiles, and pottery. Each is illustrated by a folding plate. The chemical section has two reports on the tanning of hides in Russia, and is followed by a special report on how the prize competitions offered by the Society are to be distributed. Finally, there are tables listing the prizes awarded in 1827 and a comparison of the prizes awarded by area of technology for the years 1823-1827. In all, the work contains a remarkable set of insights into early 19th century technology in France!

WILLIS, ROBERT.  A System of Apparatus for the use of Lecturers and Experimenters in Mechanical Philosophy. "With Three Plates."  London: John Weale, 1851. Folio, 10" x 12". Three plates (one folding) + 52 pp. new green cloth (paper title label on front), original printed wrappers (chipped and slightly soiled) bound in. Light foxing to the plates (one cracking at the bound edge). Still an attractive copy.  $500.

Willis (1800-1875), the Jacksonian Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy in the University of Cambridge, is best remembered for introducing the term "kinematics" into English. His Principles of Mechanism (1841) introduced engineering to his analytical methods of mechanical design. In this work, he describes a "Protean System" for teaching and experimenting, a set of interchangeable parts that can be assembled in a variety of ways to perform and/or imitate a wide variety of machines and mechanical devices. A very scarce work!