Paul Fleury Mottelay - Bibliographical History of Electricity & Magnetism-First Edition - 1922

First edition of Mottelay's definitive work on the history of electricity and magnetism, with an introduction by Silvanus P. Thompson and a preface by Sir Richard T. Glazebrook.

An important work of the history of science, organized chronologically and devoted to the development of knowledge related to electricity, magnetism, the compass, and related phenomena, from antiquity to the early nineteenth century.

The iconographic apparatus is particularly interesting, reproducing pages and ancient manuscripts related, among others, to Pliny, Aristotle, Guiot de Provins, Vincent de Beauvais, Brunetto Latini, Dante Alighieri, Petrus Peregrinus, Christopher Columbus, Cecco d’Ascoli, Lactantius and Pedro Nuñez.

Collation:
xx, 673 pp.
Frontispiece illustrated + 13 plates out of text, all present, as in the “List of Illustrations” on pp. XIX–XX.
Among the plates:
- St Augustine – frontispiece
- Plinius Secundus
- Aristotle
- Guiot de Provins
- Vincent de Beauvais
- Brunetto Latini
- Dante Alighieri
- Petrus Peregrinus, two plates
- Christopher Columbus, two plates
- Cecco d’Ascoli
- Lactantius
- Pedro Nuñez

Original blue cloth binding, with the title, author, publisher and gilt fillets on the spine.

Condition:
Solid and complete volume. The cloth shows widespread signs of use, small stains, fading and abrasions, more evident on the boards and spine; light wear at the corners and at the ends of the spine. Gilding still clearly legible.
Inner pages overall very well preserved, with clean and sound paper, slight even yellowing due to age and only minimal signs of use. Plates well preserved. Inner binding stable.

A complete and interesting example of the first edition of 1922, particularly suitable for collections in the history of science, electricity, magnetism and scientific bibliography.