1737 - History of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

History of the Royal Academy of Sciences. 1755. 2 parts in 1 volume. Paris 1755. 4°. With 24 folded copperplate plates (4 leaves), 202, 536 pp. Contemporary leather binding (signs of wear). In 1666, Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), a proponent of mercantilism, founded an academy to advise the government and promote scientific research. He invited scientists, mathematicians (astronomers, mathematicians, and physicists), and physicists (anatomists, botanists, zoologists, and chemists) to inform the king of the latest scientific achievements and advise him on matters of state. This volume is part of a series of published works and findings by the Academy’s numerous scholars, who made a significant contribution to the expansion of scientific activity. It includes, among other things, the work of the French geologist and paleontologist Jean Etienne Guettard (1715–1786): "Memoire sur les granits de France, comparés à ceux d’Égypte". Including the first mineralogical and geological map of the eastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East. - Inner joints slightly open, scattered light foxing and some extensive moisture stains along the edges, otherwise well-preserved. The 1755 edition is rarely found on the market.