83 - LA RUË (Jean-Baptiste de). TREATISE ON THE CUTTING OF STONES, in which, through a simple and concise method, one can easily master this science. Paris, Royal Printing Office, 1738. Folio, full marbled fawn calfskin, ribbed spine divided into compartments and decorated with gilt fleurons, title label in havana morocco, red edges, marbled paper endpapers (contemporary binding); frontispiece, (8) leaves, 185 pp., 73 separate plates (67 numbered and 6 labeled A through F). Tears to the upper cap; lower cap missing with a gap in the leather at the foot of the spine; corners worn; a few small ink stains and scattered foxing spots. FIRST EDITION OF THIS IMPORTANT TREATISE ON STEREOTOMY, reissued in 1738 with the frontispiece dated “1738.” This work by Jean-Baptiste de LA RUË (1697–1743), an architect and building contractor, is ONE OF THE MAJOR 18TH-CENTURY FRENCH TREATISES devoted to stone cutting and the art of constructing vaults. It sets forth a geometric and practical method intended for architects, engineers, and master masons. The treatise comprises five parts devoted to doors and rear arches, main vaults, springers, descents and abat-jours, and staircases. It is followed by a “Short Treatise on Stereotomy Applied to the Cutting of Stone.” REMARKABLE INTRAGRAVED ILLUSTRATION: an allegorical frontispiece engraved by Simon Thomassin after a design by Nicolas Bertin, dated “1738,” and 73 PLATES engraved by Antoine Coquart, including several fold-out plates (plate XXXIII contains movable elements), some printed on the reverse side of other plates or repeated to facilitate simultaneous consultation of the text and illustrations. A CHARMING COPY, complete and in a period binding, of ONE OF THE KEY REFERENCE WORKS ON ARCHITECTURE AND STEREOTOMY IN THE 18TH CENTURY. ¶ Brunet, III, 852 - British Architectural Library, 1765.