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

ENCYCLOPEDIA — MARINE — NAVAL EVOLUTIONS — HANDLING, NAUTICAL NAVIGATION AND SHIPBUILDING
Important 18th-century collection of the plates from the Encyclopédie by Diderot and d’Alembert, with particular emphasis on the section devoted to THE NAVAL SEA, 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 collecting interest are the MARINE PLATES, conceived to illustrate systematically naval evolutions, fleet maneuvers, navigation and the technical knowledge connected with the art of seamanship.
Alongside the MARINE portion, the volume includes plates relating to mathematics, geometry, optics, astronomy and the construction of scientific instruments, offering an extraordinary visual testimony to Enlightenment technical-scientific culture.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
1. MARINE PLATES 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, courses, 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 — Interesting evidence of the international diffusion of the Encyclopédie and the autonomous circulation of its famous volumes of plates.

MARKET VALUE
Original 18th-century collections of Encyclopédie plates carry values that depend strongly on the number and completeness of the plates, the presence of large folded sheets, the subjects depicted and the state of preservation.
The sections dedicated to MARINE, NAVIGATION and NAVAL EVOLUTIONS are particularly interesting for collectors of naval history, military history and history of science. The presence of the MARINE PLATES therefore constitutes one of the most attractive collecting elements of this volume. 800 - 1200 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Geneva, at Pellet, 1778. Folio volume. Contemporary full morocco binding with marbled bands, back with raised compartments and rich gold tooling and label. Wear to the binding, more evident at corners, edges and ends of spine.
Typographic title-page with engraved vignette. Numerous full-page copperplate engravings and several foldouts. Also present are important iconographic sections devoted to mathematics, geometry, optics, astronomy and the construction of scientific instruments.
Some foxing and browning; some folding plates reinforced and small tears, consistent with use and the size of the large folded plates. Collation: (4); 4 nn.; 36; 88; 32; 14; 2; (4) pp.; plus plates.

In old books, with a multi-century history, there may be some imperfections, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Renderings. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the object. 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. Geneva, at Pellet, 1778. Work under the direction of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The MARINE PLATES of the Encyclopédie constitute a fundamental document of European naval culture in the 18th century. The section translates into images the complex knowledge necessary to organize and direct the movements of warships: formations, changes of course, disposition of units, wind direction and geometric principles of naval maneuver are reduced to rational, comprehensible schemes.
The same introduction defines these as the different movements performed by warships to form or deploy in battle, to navigate, to break and reconstitute formations. It is thus a true scientific representation of the art of warfare at sea.
It is a particularly significant example of the Encyclopédie’s cultural project: turning practical knowledge into knowledge that is describable, illustratable and transmissible. 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 two decades he coordinated a vast group of scholars, technicians, artists and collaborators, turning the project into one of the intellectual banners of the Enlightenment.
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 famous plates volumes that visually expanded the textual corpus. 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 broad international diffusion of the Encyclopédie.
The Recueils de planches also achieved particular autonomous fortune. The engravings could be consulted independently of the alphabetical text and constituted valuable tools for scholars, artisans, technicians, engineers and men of science. In this context the MARINE PLATES were particularly significant because they visually made accessible a highly specialized nautical and military knowledge.

ICONOGRAPHY
The copperplate apparatus of the Encyclopédie represents one of the peaks of 18th-century technical-scientific illustration. The engravings favor clarity, geometric precision and legibility. Objects, instruments, procedures and maneuvers are broken down into their fundamental components and represented according to a rigorous didactic logic. The sea becomes a geometric space in which the 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.