Diderot et d’Alembert - Planches - [Encyclopédie] - 1778

ENCYCLOPEDIA — MARINE — NAVAL EVOLUTIONS — MANEUVERS, NAVIGATION AND NAVAL CONSTRUCTION
Important 18th-century collection of the plates from Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie, with particular emphasis on the section dedicated to the MARINE, NAVAL EVOLUTIONS and THE ART OF NAVIGATION.
The volume belongs to the monumental iconographic apparatus of the Encyclopédie and documents through copperplate engravings the technical and scientific knowledge of the 18th century. Of particular collectible interest are the MARINA TABLES, conceived to illustrate systematically naval evolutions, fleet maneuvers, navigation, and the technical knowledge related to the maritime arts.
Alongside MARINE, the volume includes plates related to mathematics, geometry, optics, astronomy and the construction of scientific instruments, offering an extraordinary visual testimony of Enlightenment technical-scientific culture.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
1. MARINA TABLES OF THE ENCYCLOPEDIA — One of the most iconographically fascinating sections of the work, dedicated to naval evolutions, fleet maneuvers and the science of navigation.
2. GREAT 18th-CENTURY TECHNICAL ICONOGRAPHY — The engravings transform theoretical knowledge about MARINE into precise visual representations, graphically showing movements, routes, dispositions and principles of navigation.
3. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DIDEROT AND D’ALEMBERT — A symbol of European Enlightenment and one of the most important editorial and intellectual projects of the 18th century.
4. GENEVA EDITION OF 1778 — An interesting testimony to the international diffusion of the Encyclopédie and the autonomous circulation of its famous plates.

MARKET VALUE
Original 18th-century collections of Encyclopédie plates show values strongly dependent on the number and completeness of the plates, the presence of large folded plates, the subjects represented and the condition. The sections dedicated to MARINE, NAVIGATION and NAVAL EVOLUTIONS are particularly interesting for collectors of naval history, military history and the history of science. The presence of the MARINA TABLES thus constitutes one of the most attractive collectible elements of the present volume. 800 - 1200 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Geneve, chez Pellet, 1778. Folio volume. Contemporary full morocco binding, richly gilt spine with raised bands and title on a label. Signs of wear to the binding, more evident at corners, edges and spine ends.
Printer’s title page with engraved emblem. Numerous full-page copperplate plates and several folds. There are also important iconographic sections devoted to mathematics, geometry, optics, astronomy and the construction of scientific instruments.
Some foxing and browning; some plate folds reinforced and small tears, consistent with use and the nature of the large folded plates. Collation: (4); 4 nn.; 36; 88; 32; 14; 2; (4) pp.; plus the plates.

In old books, with a long multi-century history, there may be some imperfections, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Renderings. Refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. The images are an integral part of the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Recueil de planches, pour la nouvelle édition du Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, avec leur explication. MARINE — ÉVOLUTIONS NAVALES and other technical-scientific sections. Geneve, chez Pellet, 1778. Work under the direction of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The MARINA TABLES of the Encyclopédie constitute a fundamental document of 18th-century European naval culture. The section translates into images the complex knowledge necessary to organize and command the movements of warships: formations, changes of course, disposition of units, wind direction and geometric principles of naval maneuver are traced back to rational and comprehensible schemes.
The introduction itself defines these as the different movements performed by warships to form themselves or arrange themselves in battle, to navigate, to break and reconstitute formations. It is therefore a true scientific representation of the art of warfare at sea.
It is a particularly significant example of the Encyclopédie’s cultural project: to transform practical knowledge into describable, illustrable, and transmissible knowledge. The plates were not mere decorations, but constituted a true visual encyclopedia of the arts, sciences and techniques.

AUTHORS
Denis Diderot (1713–1784), French philosopher, writer and critic, was the principal organizer and director of the Encyclopédie. For over twenty years he coordinated a vast group of scholars, technicians, artists and collaborators, turning the project into one of the Enlightenment’s intellectual manifestos.
Jean le Rond d’Alembert (1717–1783), mathematician, physicist and philosopher, was co-director of the enterprise and author of the famous Discours préliminaire. His contribution was decisive especially in organizing mathematical and scientific disciplines.

PRINTING HISTORY
The first great Encyclopédie was published in Paris between 1751 and 1772, accompanied by the renowned plate volumes that expanded the textual corpus visually. The European success of the work quickly led to reprints and new editions outside France. The Geneva edition at Pellet of 1778 belongs to this phase of wide international diffusion of the Encyclopédie.
Recueils de planches also enjoyed particular independent fortune. The engravings could be consulted apart from the alphabetical text and were valuable tools for scholars, craftsmen, technicians, engineers and scientists. In this context the MARINA TABLES were especially significant because they visually made accessible a highly specialized patrimony of nautical and military knowledge.

ICONOGRAPHY
The copperplate apparatus of the Encyclopédie represents one of the peaks of 18th-century technical-scientific illustration. The engravings prioritize clarity, geometric precision and legibility. Objects, instruments, procedures and maneuvers are broken down into their fundamental components and presented according to a rigorous didactic logic. The sea becomes a geometric space in which position, wind, course and movement of ships can be described through diagrams and figures. The engravings are attributed in the volume’s apparatus, among others, to Bernard Direx.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
ICCU / OPAC SBN — Encyclopédie and Recueil de planches, 18th-century editions and records of the Geneva edition.
WorldCat — Recueil de planches pour la nouvelle édition du Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, Geneva, 1778.
BnF, Bibliothèque nationale de France — Encyclopédie by Diderot and d’Alembert and related plate volumes.
Darnton, Robert, The Business of Enlightenment: A Publishing History of the Encyclopédie, 1775–1800, Harvard University Press.
Proust, Jacques, Diderot et l’Encyclopédie.
Lough, John, The Encyclopédie.