Albert Lévy - Curiosités scientifiques - 1880

An antique 19th-century illustrated edition, published in Paris in 1880 by Librairie Hachette et Cie, in the famous Bibliothèque des Écoles et des Familles collection.
A popular science work intended for a broad educated audience, emblematic of the great French editorial tradition of the late 19th century, combining pedagogical rigor with rich iconography.

The volume deals with numerous topics related to the natural sciences, physical and optical phenomena, as well as certain observations and popular scientific beliefs of the time.
Illustration plays a major role there: the work is very richly illustrated, with a large number of wood engravings, both in the text and on full pages, depicting optical and atmospheric phenomena (Chinese shadows, silhouettes, the Brocken spectre, polar auroras), as well as various instruments, experiments and scientific apparatus. The overall iconography is particularly abundant and appealing.

An antique publisher’s binding in red percaline, decorated in blind and in black, with a titled spine.
In the spine area, the gatherings show a slight slackening with an initial partial detachment visible when opened, without any stitching rupture or tearing. This phenomenon, common on nineteenth-century percaline bindings, does not affect either the overall sturdiness of the work or its ease of turning the pages.

The interior exhibits diffuse, uniform foxing typical of the paper from this period, with no impact on the readability of the text or on the quality of the engravings.
Wear from use to the spine ends and corners, rubbing and light abrasions to the boards, in keeping with an old school and family book.

Presence on the front plate of the inscription « Collège de Nantua », a printed institutional mark, indicating an old educational provenance, in keeping with the pedagogical purpose of the work.

Complete copy of 224 pages, in-8 format, dimensions 22 × 14 cm.
A representative and sought-after volume from the illustrated body of French popular science publishing at the end of the 19th century.