A Paris, chez Guelard et chez la Veuve de P. Fessard, S/d. (1743)

De 24x18 cm. Com 96 fólios, os dois últimos em branco. Encadernação da época inteira de pele, com nervos e ferros a ouro na lombada. Ilustrado com 84 gravuras algumas desdobráveis. Trata-se de uma obra que reúne diversas gravuras de ofícios a maior parte são sobre arquitectura, provavelmente tiradas de chapas utilizadas em outras obras visto que a numeração é descontinuada, no entanto quando comparado com outros exemplares, o número de gravuras é igual é formando assim uma edição.

[EN]Small 4to. with 84 engraved plates engraved throughout, some leaves printed on both sides, many folded, numbering of text and plates irregular title-page vignette, head-piece and some illustrations signed by Guélard, some of the illustrations after Laury head-piece on ll. 7 by Le Clerc contemporary full mottled calf, spine with raised band, gilt in compartments, extremities rubbed and corners bumped, attractive copy. First edition of this fascinating picture encyclopaedia of the industrial arts and technology, and in particular of the tools used in the individual trades. After an initial section covering architecture and design, highlighting in particular the building trade and its tools and equipment, (most of which is based on Félibien’s De l’Architecture, de la Sculpture, de la Peinture of 1676), Guelard concentrates on joinery and wood-work, metal-work, locksmithing, working with lead and minting, printing, engraving, and book-binding. In most cases he illustrates the tools and machinery, such as furnaces, watermills, etc, but also printing and engraving presses, and gives some instructions in the engraved and manuscript text. The work is a very good source for technical tools used at the time, but at the same time it is specially designed for the general public, with the purpose of explaining craft ‘secrets’ and making the artistic crafts intelligible to the layman. Copies of this book apparently vary in composition, partly indicated in the erratic pagination the Getty copy has an additional engraved frontispiece by Guelard, though this is not present in either of the two British Library copies. Barbier I 889 RLIN/OCLC list copies at the Winterthur, Getty, Newberry Library, Library of Congress and California State Library.