JF Ptak Science Books
Annals of philosophy, natural history, chemistry, literature, agriculture, and the mechanical and fine arts. For the Year 1800 [along with 1801 and 1802]. Published in London, printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies [vol. III printed for J. Ginger and E. Harding]. Three volumes all together, printed 1801-4, and printed by E.Cox and Son, London.
Offering the three volumes--all that was published of what was supposed to be a long-lived annual--of 486, 403, 433pp, plus unpaginated indexes each very useful and 8pp long. All uniform, 8vo, and bound in half-calf with marbled boards, gilt-delineated spine panels with title and volume in red and black morocco panels. Provenance: the Society of Writers to the Signet, with the oval coat of arms gilt stamped on the front and rear boards. $1000
Condition: Vols 1 & 2 are in nice, G-VG condition; Vol. 3 is in very good condition, though the front board is detached. All volumes are tight and crisp; they all have a moderate amount of scuffing to the spines.
The Annals were intended to be a "work which would give a general and concise view of scientific discoveries of the year, with references to the original works in which such discoveries were published". Each volume is similarly arranged, and include summaries of articles in (at least) dozens of journals, including many English translations of articles in foreign languages.
There are significant events that are mentioned in each volume though they are not necessarily described in the introductory to each section. For an example of the richness and breadth of the contents we'll use as an example the first volume, where the mention of Volta's "apparatus" from the Philosophical Transactions article in which he describes using electricity to produce chemical reactions; and John Leslie's hygrometer makes a similar appearance. Continuing, volume one also includes "An Account of the Discovery, Progress, and present state of Galvanism" (a long contribution at 24pp--which contains that report on the brand new discovery of the battery/"galvanic device" by Volta (including an engraved plate, and another full article "An Account of Dr. Herschel's Experiments on Light and Heat". These two are followed by a selection of significant papers for the year in a chapter called "Miscellaneous Articles on Natural Philosophy", which runs from pp 36-106 and includes description and review of works by Kirwan, Coloumb, Prony, Thomas Young, Peroule, Lamarck, Herschel, Wollaston, (our old friend) Luke Howard, Chaptal, and even Laplace (on the publication of his masterwork on celestial mechanics). Some of the "reviews" are a paragraph or two, while others (like the Coloumb) are 5-10 pages. The book progresses into articles on Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, and Chemistry. In the next section are articles on Agriculture, Mathematics, Medicine, and then Philosophy, Politics, Political Economy, Theology, Antiquities,Ethics, Military, and Law, each section of which is divided by the language of origin. Overall, the three volumes cover all aspects of intellectual history for 1800-1802, many translated into English, over many different fields. This is as far as the "Annals" went in this form, and the current volumes are all that were published in the original series (with Garnett dying before the third volume was published). It is a very impressive achievement.
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