A Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature. Endeavouring to set forth and several Gradations Remarkable in the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Parts of the Creation. Tending to the Composition of a Scale of Life. To which is added, An Account of the State of Gardening .

Richard Bradley

Edité par Printed for W Mears, at the Lamb, without Temple-Bar, London, 1721

A propos de cet article

A very good copy in largely contemporary pannelled calf with 28 hand coloured plates. Richard Bradley (1668-1732) was elected to the Royal Society on the basis of his work and ideas on the balance of nature and productivity, although he lacked a university education. He became Chair of Botany at Cambridge, an unsalaried position, in 1724, and attempted to make a living through writing. He was known to a number of eminent and influential people including Hans Sloane, and a 2012 post from the Sloane Letters Project reveals a man constantly seeking funds but then failing to use them properly - the post is headed up 'Richard Bradley An Eighteenth Century Rogue'! This work is Bradley's attempt to provide an overview of the plant and animal kingdoms and the subscribers' list shows a number of eminent customers including Isaac Newton (6 copies) and Hans Sloane. The calf binding has a blind-stamped pannelled design to the boards. The spine is newer with raised bands and gilt titles and date. The board corners have been repaired. Internally an old catalogue entry for the book has been pasted to the front pastedown endpaper. Contents: title in red and black; dedication to the Earl of Orrery 2pp; subscribers' list 8pp (with hand written note that this amounted to 514 copies); contents list 3pp; directions to binder 1p with remains of old bookmark; introduction 3pp; text pp 1-194 with 28 plates - of which 1 is folding; advert for 3 works by Bradley 1p. Text with decorative head and tailpieces and initial capitals. The contents are in very good clean condition with some toning to the margins, particularly at the top. There is a stain to the bottom margin of plates XIV and XV, and a stain to one page of the subscribers' list. There is a note pasted at the rear pastedown endpaper about the receipt of the book in 1770.

N° de réf. du vendeur 032919

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: A Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature. Endeavouring to set forth and several Gradations Remarkable in the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Parts of the Creation. Tending to the Composition of a Scale of Life. To which is added, An Account of the State of Gardening .
• Éditeur: Printed for W Mears, at the Lamb, without Temple-Bar, London
• Date de parution: 1721
• Reliure: Full-Leather
• Illustrateur: J Cole
• Édition: 1st Edition
• État de l'article: Very Good
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • NATURAL HISTORY