Le Clerc - Geometria Pratica - 1774

Le Clerc – Practical Geometry – Venice, 1784 – Volume Two – 248 pages – geometric plates – complete

Description

An interesting eighteenth-century treatise on practical geometry, enriched with numerous figures and etched geometric plates, published in Venice in 1784.

The frontispiece reads:

“Practical Geometry by Mr. Le Clerc; for the use of studious youth, and all kinds of people. French translation. Adorned with very beautiful copper engravings. Volume Two.”

Venice, MDCCLXXXIV (1784), at Leonardo and Giammaria Fratelli Bassaglia, with the proper Licences and Privilege.

The work, translated from French, is conceived as a practical and pedagogical manual of geometry and addresses numerous topics, as also shown by the table of chapters: definitions and fundamental notions, practice of lines and angles, transformation of planes, division of planes, measurement, trigonometry, triangles, solids and their measurement, in addition to practical applications of geometric instruments.

Of particular interest is the iconographic apparatus. The volume is fitted with numerous plates with geometric figures, some folded, containing a large number of finely engraved diagrams: circles, polygons, triangles, geometric constructions, subdivisions, measuring scales, solids and representations related to applied geometry. The photographs show both full-page plates and broader folded plates, still preserved inside the volume.

The text ends on page 248, where it is clearly legible “End of the Second, and last Volume.” The offered copy is complete with all 248 pages.

The binding is antique, in light parchment, with a smooth spine and a small label/square at the top bearing embossed indications. The parchment bears the typical patina acquired over more than two centuries, giving the volume a particularly authentic appearance.

State of preservation

Copy in generally good condition for its age. The binding shows natural signs of use, stains, small darkening, abrasions and colour variations. Light deformations and irregularities of the parchment are visible, common features in old bindings of this material.

The interiors show browning, foxing, halos and some stains, more evident on certain leaves, but the text and figures are generally legible. Normal irregularities and marginal marks due to age are also observed. The large folded plates show the original creases and natural signs of use, but preserve the rich apparatus of geometric diagrams very well.

Complete volume: 248 pages.

A particularly interesting item for collectors of ancient scientific books, mathematics, geometry, history of didactics, and seventeenth-eighteenth-century scientific engravings. The numerous geometric plates, coupled with the parchment binding and the Venetian printing of the eighteenth century, constitute the most interesting elements of the copy.

Photos are an integral part of the description and it is recommended to study them carefully for a direct assessment of the conservation status, the binding, the leaves and the illustrated plates.

Note: description prepared with the aid of artificial intelligence systems based on the information provided and examination of the photographs.