Journal of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, devoted to the Mechanical Arts, Manufactures, General Science, and the Recording of American and other Patented Inventions, 1828-1920 —assorted volumes with major and minor contributions in physics and chemistry, and also in many in the earliest phases of tech fields like photography, telegraphy, television, recorded sound, and etc.

This is a running list with material added every week—so far there are about 60 volumes in the list of 200+ volumes to come.

1828

John James Audubon, “Notes on the Rattlesnake”, pp 32-37. (Audubon would later paint a ferocious scene of a rattlesnake attacking a Mockingbird nest with the Mockingbirds viciously protecting themselves.) In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1828; volume 2 (new series) and volume 6 overall, with text illustrations and four plates, 430, 8, pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, boards detached, spine worn and chipped, also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper. The text though is in VG condition. Overall: Fair condition. $125

Michael Faraday, “Directions for bending, blowing, and cutting of glass, for chemical and other purposes. Extracted from Chemical Manipulation”, pp 92-99, 145-150, 217-222, 301-306, 361-367 (concluded).

“Prognostics of the Weather”, indicators of the coming of weather found in nature and their interpretation. For example, we are told of how the certain actions of ants and asses predict the coming weather, as with human aches and pains; these are followed by dozens of examples. pp 99- 107, 175-184 (concluded);

“History of the Telegraph”, pp 51-54;

Wonder description (with illustration) from the patent section of “Mrs. Siebe’s tap for cutting hollow screws”

And many others.

1829

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1829; volume 3 (new series) and volume 7 overall, with text illustrations and four plates, 438pp Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper. Good/Very Good. $145

Cumberland, “On the Origins of Air Balloons” pp 20-24.

“On improvements in Marbling the edges of Books and Paper”, pp 246-249, (from the French, which also has been reprinted in limited editions);

Followed by:

“On Morocco Leather Dressing”, pp 250-254 and 297-302;

“An Historical Account of Lithography...” pp 279-282 and 302-306;

George Cayley, “On the Natural Zero, according to Fahrenheit's Scale”, pp 389-392;

William Howard, “Specification of a patent for an improved Rail-way Carriage”, pp66-68, with three copper plate engravings;

“Observations upon Rail-roads, and the Adaptation of Carriages in such as are curvilinear”, pp 68-70

Mark Watt, “Abstract of a Memoir...on the Principles of Attraction and Repulsion in the Lunar Rays”, pp 24-29

“On the Natural History of the Honey Bee”, pp 36-42 and pp 81-92;

“An Account of the Fire of St. Elmo”, pp 111-113;

“Observations on the connexion of Mechanical Skill, with the highest attainments in Science...”, pp 153-159, and

“On the Rotary Steam Engine”, pp 179-184;

And of higher interest:

John Fleming, “On the Value of the Evidence from the Animal Kingdom, tending to prove the Arctic Regions formerly enjoyed a milder climate than at present”, pp 382-389 (or rather the “insufficiency” of evidence that is).

And here we go:

“Innocuous Nature of Putrid Exhalations”, p. 35

“On the Art of the Liquorist”, pp 369-375

“On the Spontaneous Combustion of the Human Body”, pp 31-34.

1829

Volcanoes, Perfume, Steam Engines, and more

Humphrey Davy and others, “Volcanoes, Perfume, Steam Engines, and more, all in Journal of the Franklin Institute, 1829

JONES, Thomas P., editor. Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1829. Volume 4 (new series), volume 8 overall. 8.5"x5.5", 430pp, 5 plates. Bound in half-calf, with gilt stamping and raised bands. Ex-library, with evidence of spine label removal on spine bottom, and a few stamps on title page--other than some foxing, the book is very tight and crisp, a very nice copy. __+__ Including the following papers: Humphry Davy, “On the Phenomena of Volcanoes”, pp 154-161; "On the Manufacture of French Articles of Perfumery", pp 295-302; ;A. Ainger, "On the Early History of the Steam Engine”, pp 319-327, (concluded), pp 361-370; “On the Advantages of Machines (from Marratt's Mechanical Philosophy)”, pp 162-164; “On a mode of Rapidly Sketching effects in Chiaro- scuro, and its applications to Lithography”, pp 371-3; Richard Walker, “On the Artificial Production of Cold”, pp 396-400; J. Harwood, “Structure and Economy of the Greenland Whale.”, - 21-31; Memoir of the Life of Joseph Frauenhofer.”, p 96-103. Lastly, "Description of a MAchine for Scattering Manure", pp 277-8, with two illustration.__+__ Here's a little spin on the "Manure Scattering Machine" Of the many things that can be said about manure you can't say but can say about its chemical replacement is that it is made from fossil fuels and sucks good stuff from the soil and ultimately makes the farmland it is fertilizing unfarmable. That's what popped into my head when I bumped into this woodcut of a manure spreader while farming something else in the 1829 volume of The Journal of the Franklin Institute.

1830

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1830; volume 5 (new series) and volume 9 overall, with text illustrations and five plates. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper.

This volume includes many articles of interest, including a longish early article on railroads:

“Account of the Performance of Various Rail-road Carriages on the Liverpool and Manchester Rail-road”, pp 186-210 and pp 257-267; featuring nearly full-page illustrations of (William) Stephenson's “The Rocket”, “Novelty No. 1” of Braithwaite & Ericsson (along with a schematic for “Novelty No 2”, and the Sans Pareil”. Note: “The Rocket” was designed by Stephenson only a year earlier, the very early locomotive appearing in 1829 (in England). The “Sans Pareil” was design by Timothy Hackworth and was first presented in that same year of 1829.

Also the following railroad papers:

“On the Power required to Propel Carriages on Rail-roads, compared with that for moving boats in Canals”, pp 140-141;

“Modes of Adopting Rail-way Cars to Roads &c.” pp 151-154;

“Remarks on the Pendulous Rail-road Car, and on the adapting Railway Cars to run on common roads”, pp 237-239;

AND::

Walter Johnson, “On the Relation between Rolling and Dragging Friction”, pp 57-69;

This piece is followed by the first in what was intended to be a series by the editor called “Modern Antiques”, (pp 69-70)where the journal would “furnish, occasionally, some palpable evidences of the forestalling disposition of remote answers…who have deprived us….off the honor of being the true and original inventors, or discoverers, of various improvements in mechanics, and other useful arts; and who even peep from their graves to dispute the rights of those who have issued to the world their new born projects in the forms of letter patents…”

And:

“On the Preparation of Crayons, or Pastels”, pp 94-99; ;

[Henry M. Western], “Specification of a Patent for a Tide Power...for the Purpose of Applying Power to Machinery...”, pp 154-155;

1830 Early Railroading

“Account of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway”, in Journal of the Franklin Institute, 1830. (Early Railroading), Philadelphia, published by the Franklin, 1830. Vol 6, 430, 8pp. Half calf, marbled boards. Some amount of scuffing on the spine, though the gilt impressions are very legible. Ex-library copy, with stamps on the title page, and a remnant of a paper label on spine bottom. Near-VG copy. __+__ “Account of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway”, December 1830, pp 409-419. Longish report on the “first locomotive-hauled railway to connect two major cities, and the first to provide a scheduled passenger service”. Part of the paper is a description of a run on he L+M, which had made its inaugural run on 15 September, just months earlier. (The first run was an enormous event, the PM there for great festivities. 10 years later there would be 1775 miles of track, and then by 1850 a total of 6200 miles in Britain.) "(T)he world is a branch line of the pioneering Liverpool–Manchester run.”-- former British Rail chairman Peter Parker.__+__ And: S.H. Long. “On the Principles which should govern the location and construction of Rail-roads”, pp 178-193.__+__ Howard, William. "New method of communicating circular motion in a lateral direction", pp 37-38, with small woodcut; __+__ “On the Construction of a vessel moved by the force of wind, and propelled directly against it”, July, page 40, with an inset woodcut. __+__ “A self-loading cart propelled by wind”, p 40-1, with small woodcut illustration.__+__ McDowell, John. "Economical mode of transmitting motion", pp 38-9, with small woodcut.

1830 William Stephenson and others--Very Early Papers on Railroads

“Account of the Performance of Various Rail-road Carriages on the Liverpool and Manchester Rail-road” and other very early railroad papers in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1830; volume 5 (new series) and volume 9 overall, with text illustrations and five plates. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper. __+__ This volumes includes many articles of interest, including a longish early article on railroads: “Account of the Performance of Various Rail-road Carriages on the Liverpool and Manchester Rail-road”, pp 186-210 and pp 257-267; featuring nearly full-page illustrations of (William) Stephenson's “The Rocket”, “Novelty No. 1” of Braithwaite & Ericsson (along with a schematic for “Novelty No 2”, and the Sans Pareil”. Note: “The Rocket” was designed by Stephenson only a year earlier, the very early locomotive appearing in 1829 (in England). The “Sans Pareil” was design by Timothy Hackworth and was first presented in that same year of 1829. Also the following railroad papers: “On the Power required to Propel Carriages on Rail-roads, compared with that for moving boats in Canals”, pp 140-141; “Modes of Adopting Rail-way Cars to Roads &c.” pp 151-154; “Remarks on the Pendulous Rail-road Car, and on the adapting Railway Cars to run on common roads”, pp 237-239. __+__ Also: Walter Johnson, “On the Relation between Rolling and Dragging Friction”, pp 57-69; This piece is followed by the first in what was intended to be a series by the editor called “Modern Antiques”, (pp 69-70)where the journal would “furnish, occasionally, some palpable evidences of the forestalling disposition of re …

1831

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 8 (new series) vol 12 overall, July-December 1831, with text illustrations. 430, 8 pp., and one folding plate. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine and leather cover tips; front joint sprung though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. In Solid GOOD condition.

The highlight in this volume is the appearance of a very early mention of the Charles Babbage having built his Difference Engine (No. 1), found in a one-paragraph mention in the article “The Results of Machinery”, located on pp 55-64:

“Mr. Babbage...has invented a calculating machine...” states the article--this refers to the newly (1832) “completed” a 1/7^th model of the machine. (The Difference Engine No. 0 announcement came June 14, 1822; the Difference Engine No. 1 appeared in this year, 1832, though work was suspended on it in 1833 (with government funding removed);'work soon to begin on Difference Engine No.2 (1846-9), (and with A. Lovelace's famous “Notes” appearing on the Analytical Engine in 1843).

This is a review/abstract of the book by Charles Knight, The results of machinery which appeared in a second edition in London in 1831 (and a fifth in 1832) with a first American appearing in 1831. The Babbage calculating machine bit from the JFI is taken very nearly verbatim from these editions, where in edition the original mention of the machine is referred to as “almost perfected”--here in the JFI it shows up as “completed”. Curious.

The full note on Babbage reads:

“The inventions for saving mental labour, in calculations of arithmetic, have been carried so far, that Mr. Babbage, a gentleman whose name we have twice before mentioned, has invented a calculating machine, which not only does its work of calculation without the possibility of error, but absolutely arranges printing types of figures, in a frame, so that no error can be produced in copying the calculations, before they are printed. We mention this curious machine, to show how far
science may go in diminishing mental labour, and ensuring accuracy.”

This was part and parcel the principle thrust of this article: investigating the application of machinery in a positive way to production and labor and showing its “...effects of saving unprofitable labor”.

Also: James Espy, “Observations on the importance of Meteorological Observations, particularly in regards to the Dew Point”, pp 389-406. Walter Johnson, “Description of an apparatus, called the Rotascope...illustrating certain laws of rotary motion”, pp 361-366G. Moll, “On the First Invention of Telescopes”, pp 41-50; “remarks on the construction and peculiarities...Liverpool and Manchester rail-way, from Wood's Treatise on Rail-roads”, pp 271-276. Numerous articles on water power, steam, supercharged steam, paper making, boilers, generating gas, steam boiler explosions, new mode of constructing harbors, and much else.

The few paragraphs of background leading to the Babbage reads as follows:

“The foot-rule of the carpenter not only gives him the standard of a foot measure, which he could not exactly ascertain by any experience or any mental process; but it is also a scale of the propor-
tions of an inch or several inches, to a foot, and of the parts of an inch to an inch. What a quantity of calculations, and of dividing by compasses does this little instrument save the carpenter, besides
ensuring a much greater degree of accuracy in all his operations!The common rules of arithmetic, which almost every boy in England now learns, are parts of a great invention for saving mental labour. The higher branches of mathematics, of which science arithmetic is a portion, are also inventions for saving labour, and for doing what could never be done without these inventions.

There are instruments, and very curious ones, for lessening the labour of all arithmetical calculations; and tables—that is, the results of certain calculations, which are of practical use, are constructed for the
same purpose. When you buy a joint of meat, you often see the butcher turn to a little book, before he tells you how much a certain number of pounds and ounces amounts to, at a certain price per
pound. . This book is his “Ready Reckoner,” and a very useful book it is to him; for it enables him to despatch his customers in half the time that it would otherwise require, and thus to save himself a
great deal of labour, and a great deal of inaccuracy.

The inventions for saving mental labour, in calculations of arithmetic, have been carried so far, that Mr. Babbage, a gentleman whose name we have twice before mentioned, has invented a calculating machine, which not only does its work of calculation without the possibility of error, but absolutely arranges printing types of figures, in a frame, so that no error can be produced in copying the calculations, before they are printed. We mention this curious machine, to show how far
science may go in diminishing mental labour, and ensuring accuracy.”

1832 “Example of the Method of Calculating by Machinery”

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 10 (new series) vol 14 overall, July-December 1832, with text illustrations. 429pp., and one folding plate. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine and leather cover tips; front joint sprung though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. In VERY GOOD condition. $300

(Babbage, Charles) “A Selection from Professor Babbage's Work, 'On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures', pp 355-360 AND pp 414-420, including selections: “Example of the method of Calculating by Machinery”,'Lace Made by Caterpillars', “Convenient method of Gauging”, and “Diamonds for Cutting Glass”, Machine for making Pins, “Economy in Manufacturing Illustrated”, “Manufacture of Eyes for Dolls”, “Durability of Watches”, Tanning”, and “Process in the Art of Needle Making” These are short selections from Babbage's book, which was published earlier in this year.

From the preface of the printed edition of the Economy...”: “The present volume may be considered as one of the consequences that have resulted from the Calculating-Engine, the construction of which 1 have been so long superintending...I have not attempted to offer a complete enumeration of all the mechanical principles which regulate the application of machinery to arts and manufactures, but I have endeavoured to present to the reader those which struck me as the most important, either for understanding the actions of machines, or for enabling the memory to classify and arrange the facts connected with their employment.”

“In 1834, with his Difference Engine still unfinished, Babbage conceived a new, more general machine for the evaluation of functions. This machine resembled the modern computer in that it read operations from a string of punched cards and performed those operations on individual numbers. It also had a means of storing and retrieving numbers. He would name the new device the Analytical Engine after his interest in analytical mathematics.”--DSB

Also in this volume: “Report on Steam Carriages...” pp 375-385 (half of this paper being a report on Richard Trevithick's new steam carriage); and many other articles.

1833 David Brewster and many others

David Brewster, "Selections from Letters on Natural Magic.Illusions of the Eye", pp 138-144 and continued for "Spectral Illusions", pp 210--215 and "deceptions with the Concave Mirror" pp 282-287, and "Acoustic Mechanism--Automata", pp 354-359, and "decomposition of Light by Absorption" pp 417-420. In: JONES, Thomas P., editor. Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1833. Volume 11 (new series), volume 15 overall. 8.5"x5.5", 4301, 12pp. Bound in half-calf, with gilt stamping and raised bands. Ex-library, with evidence of spine label removal on spine bottom, scuffing on the spine edges, and a few stamps on title page, plus a call slip envelope at the rear pastedown and endpaper--other than some foxing, the book is very tight and crisp, a very nice copy. Good copy. __+__ Some of the articles in the volume include:

__+__ Robert Hare, "Apparatus for evolving Silicon from Fluo-silic Acid Gas", pp 289-296 (with illustrations of the instruments). Robert Hare, "remarks on the error of supposing that a communication with the Earth, is necessary to the efficacy of Electrical Machines", pp 297-299; "Practical Observations on the Power Expended in Driving the Machinery of a Cotton Manufactory at Lowell", pp 6-15; "W. Baddeley, (Alfred) Cannings Life Raft", pp 59-61 (published months earlier in London); "Dr. Arnott's Hydrostatic Bed for Invalids", pp 61-66; "(W) Symington's Steam-Boat", with a full page cross section, pp 68-9; "Effects of Trades on Health and Morals" (full title being "Are there any trades so injurious to health, or so hazardous to morals, that they ought, for that reason, to be discouraged, or abandoned?", pp 78-84; John Fincham, "On the timber used for the Masts of Ships", pp 135-137 and pp 196-200; Lafonde, "On the Art of Glass Blowing", pp 254-260 and 327-336; Robert Eastman, "Specification of a patent for an improvement in the Reacting Water Wheel." with two copperplates, pp 320-322. Also: full page engraving with a short description of "Mr. Symington's Steam Carriage, 1784-6"

1833

Richard Trevithick, “For Improvements on the Steam Engine, and its Application of Steam Power to Navigation, and to Locomotion”, in Journal of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, devoted to the Mechanical Arts, Manufactures, General Science, and the Recording of American and other Patented Inventions, edited by Thomas P. Jones, printed in Philadelphia at the Franklin, 1833; volume 16 (New Series vol 12), pp 111-112, in the volume of 438pp. Half-calf and marbled boards, raised bands, gilt dentelles. Very nice condition with a ghost-appearance of a spine label at bottom; ex-library stamps on title page. Very clean and crisp. __+__ Includes much else of interest, for example: A.D. Bache, “Experiments Made on the Navigation of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal by Steam.”, pp 361-373; Robert Hare, “Apparatus for Transferring a liquid from a carboy, or cask, to bottles especially useful in the case of sulphuric acid.”, pp 226-228 (with two woodcuts of the instruments); William Scoresby, “On the Deviation of the Compass; with examples of its fatal influence in some melacholy and dreadful shipwrecks”, pp 40-43 and 121-124. “Undulating Rail-way” and “The Undulating Rail-way”, pp 45-52; Michael Faraday, “Practical Prevention of Dry Rot in Timber”, pp 346-351; E. Galloway, “On the Application of Steam, expansively, in Cornish Steam Engines”, pp 273-277 and 337-341; James Walker and A. Burges, “Report on the Sate of Blackfriars Bridge”, pp 283-286 and 342-346; “Biscuit Making Machinery”; “Steam Carriages”.

1834 FARADAY, Michael and many others

Faraday, Michael. “Notice of a means of preparing the organs of respiration, so as considerably to extend the time of holding the breath, with remarks on its application, in cases in which it is required to enter an irrespirable atmosphere.”--in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1834 (January-June) volume 13 (new series) and vol 17 (overall). 437pp. Half calf. Ex-library, with evidence of a call number slip on spine bottom. There's some bit of scuffing on the spine, which is rather nice. Very Good copy.__+__ Examples of the articles in this volume include:__+__ FARADAY, Michael. “Notice of a means of preparing the organs of respiration, so as considerably to extend the time of holding the breath, with remarks on its application, in cases in which it is required to enter an irrespirable atmosphere.” pp 65-68; John Ericsson, “The Caloric Engine”, pp 416-420 (first part)--this was a very early appearance of Ericsson's "Caloric Engine" exhibited less than a year earlier in London (1832). Jacob Green,”An Account of some experiments made with Mr. Jos. Saxton's Electromagnetic Machine”, pp 219-222 “Remarks on Instruments for Measuring Distances at a single observation”, pp 11-12; “On Printing by Cylinder on Roller Presses”, pp 86-89; “On Final Causes”, pp 157-159; Enenezer, A. Lester. “Specification of a patent for an improved Water Wheel”, pp 185-189; “Magnetic Experiments on Chronometers”, pp 201-208 and pp 277-284; James Espy (the early and gifted meteorologist), “Remarks on the Height of the Aurora Borealis, with a review of the accounts of some of the most remarkable Auroral Arches”, pp 294-301 and pp 363-373; “Specification of a patent for an Odometer, or machine for indicating distances traveled by a Wheeled Carriage, granted to William A. Turner.”, pp 336-339, with a full page plate showing a rather …

1834

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 14 (new series) vol 18 overall, January-June 1835, with text illustrations. 438pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; front joint sprung though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. Good+ to near-Very Good condition. $175 Examples of interesting articles include:

John W. Draper, “Some Experimental Researches to Determine the Nature of Capillary Attraction” (in the August 1834 issue), pp 147-165;

John W. Draper, “An Account of Some Experiments made to Determine the Most Eligible Construction of Galvanic Batteries of Four Elements”, pp 289-295;

William Whewell, “On he Science of Tides”, pp 226-231, 298-306 (concluded);

J.K. Mitchell, “On the Means of elevating the character of the Working Classes”, pp 94-109 (a longish article for the JFI);

“Steam Navigation in the Port of London”, pp 83-90,

John Ericsson, “The Caloric Engine” (continued from vol xiii, p 420) pp 48-53 (concluded);

“Steamboats on the Western Waters”, pp 353-356;

Value, “Examination of Dr. Herschel's Theory of the Constitution of the Sun”, pp 369-373.

The penultimate paper in the volume regards a unique airship, described in “French Aeiral Ship”, which was made in the shape of a fish bladdder, and was a narrow 135' long and able to accommodate 60 passengers. It was supposed to fly to London from Paris, but it was delayed several times, only to find itself exploding (with no injuries mentioned).

And as it turns out the last entry is a death notice for M. Jacquard, the loom man, to whom so much of modern computing is owed. The note points out that in spite of what the manufacturing industry was able to do with his invention, Jacquard died poor at age 82.

1835

Arthur Dunn, "Experiments to ascertain the Existence of Lead in the Atmosphere of a White Lead Manufactory", pp 355-6. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 16 (third series), volume 20 (overall), July-December 1835, 438 pp, with text illustrations. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. Good condition. (There are dozens of other papers of interest in this volume--this seems to be the most compelling of the group.)__+__ This paper seems among the earliest printed in the U.S. to experimentally demonstrate the presence of lead in the atmosphere. It is also suggestive of what would become the concern of human impact on the environment. The issue of lead poisoning was considerable people became sick by touching, drinking, and breathing in lead under many different circumstances. For example, poisoning occurred when lead was used in paint by breathing or touching or eating paint chips, the most harmed of those would be the color mixers who prepared the paint. There was also a problem with lead caused by eating it in the form of food coloring for bread (to give it a yellowish tint using chrome yellow ), candies, bon bons, and an emulsifier for snuff, among many other things. Lead was also ingested via the use of lead utensils, pipes, and drinking ware.__+__ The deadly problem of lead sickness/poisoning ( colic ) was known to the Hippocrates, Nicander, Celsus, Dioscorides, Galen, Avicenna and other ancients of Greece, Rome, and Persia, and was a known co

1835

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 15 (new series) vol 19 overall, January-June 1835, with text illustrations. 446, 16 pp., with three plates and two folding maps. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; front joint sprung though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. Near Very Good condition. $175 Examples of interesting articles include:

William Strickland, “Address upon a Railroad from Wilmington to the Susquehanna, together with a report of the Survey”, pp 226-234. With a lovely folding map 25” x 7.5” showing the route of the railroad from Wilmington (Delaware) west through New Port, Stanton, Newark, Elkton, to Charlestown (Cecil County) Maryland.

John W. Draper, “Experiments, made to determine whether Light exhibits any Magnetic Action”, pp 79- 85 and 155-158 (concluded).

Janes Espy, “Remarks on Professor Olmsted'a Theory of Meteoric Phenomenon...denominated Shooting Stars...”, pp 9-19, 85-92,158-165 and 234-238 (concluded); Emerson, “On the Influence of the Moon Upon the Weather...”, pp 238-243; “Report on Mr. M.W. Baldwin's Locomotive Engines”,pp 244-246; “Experiments on the Best Form of Canal Boats”, pp 275-280.

Notice of the sandy and Beaver and the Mahoning Canals” (Ohio), with a 7”x5” map, folded once, with hand-colored highlighting (though bound upside down). Benjamin Wright, “...the New York and Erie Rail-road”, pp 358-364, 423-429 (concluded)

1836

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1836; volume 17 (new series) and volume 21 overall, with text illustrations and four plates, 440 pp Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper. Good/Very Good. $145

Michael Faraday, “Experimental Researches in Electricity, Eigth Series” (first published in the Phil Trans for 1835), pp 282-285 and pp 362-365;

Espy, James P. “Essays on Meteorology... On Hail, No 1.” pp 241-246, “No. II”, pp 309-316; No. III pp 309-316;

(Espy, James P.) “Second Report of the Joint Committee on Meteorology”, pp 386-393;

Franklin Peale, “Table of Properties &c., of the Metals, taken from a table by M. Chaudet of the Paris Mint”, pp 375-385. This is basically a tabular report on 34 metals, listed alphabetically, and including dates of discovery and the names of discoverers (which is not very usual to make experience), plus the names and locations of the principle mines, plus color, character, stability, specific gravity, state in which the metals are found, and several other properties. Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1836; volume 17 (new series) and volume 21 overall, with text illustrations and four plates, 440 pp

H.R. Campbell, “Report to the President and Managers of the West Philadelphia Rail Road Company”, pp 174-176, with a fine 23”x6.5” lithographed map, with hand-colored highlights.

Scanlan, “Instances of Spontaneous Combustion...”, pp 424-427;

John Draper, “Experiments on Endosmosis”, pp 177-283;

John Draper, “Of the Tidal Motions of Conductors, free to move”, pp 27-33;

“Report in relation to a proposed rail-road from the River Ohio to the Tide Waters of the Carolinas”, pp 161-168;

Featherstonhaugh, G.W. “Review of 'Geological Report of an Examination, made in 1834, of the Elevated Country between the Missouri and Red Rivers”, pp 184—190;

“Report of Experiments made on...the xplosions of Steam-Boilers...” pp 1-20, 73-93, 145-164, 217-233, 289-296.

1837—2 vols

Draper, John William. “Experiments on Solar Light”, in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, vols 19 and 20, 1837 (full year). Half calf and marbled boards. 9.5x6 , 490pp (8 plates), 442pp (2 plates). Condition: Scuffing and wear to spines though the gilt stamped titles are quite legible the volumes seem to have received some use over the years. Ex-library, with stamps on the title page. The textblock is crisp and strong. Good copies.

The Draper article is continued in four parts and comprising 36pp with 3 plates: vol 19, June, pp 469-479, plate; vol 20, July, August, October , pp 38-46, 114-125, 250-253 (two plates).__+__ Also in volume 20: a significant paper: (Samuel Morse.) Electro-Magnetic Telegraph , pp 323-325. Here the editor relates a successful experiment by Morse transmitting the message Successful experiment with Telegraph , with his one-wire (conductor) recording telegraph. (This is pre-Morse code, so the words were transmitted via numerals found in a telegraphic dictionary.) There is also a report on the first Russian railroad, as well as the book review of the first American edition of Lyell's Principles of Geology.__+__ This is the pioneer Draper's first paper containing sections relating to the photographic arts, though it seems to have been not much noticed or referenced, the best early ref to it coming from Draper himself. The paper appeared in four parts over two volumes of the Journal of the Franklin Institute in 1837, parts of it being published three years later in 1840 in the Philosophical Magazine, where Draper's ideas seem to have been more widely recognized. Draper wrote in the PM: Most of these have been published in the Journal of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia; but as they do not appear to have been noticed in England, I will ask the favour of a page or two of your excellent Magazine, to give my testimony on a subject, which now appears to excite so much interest. __+__ On the 1837 appearance and the work in general, The Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography contributes: "As early as 1837, while still in Virginia, [Draper] had followed the example of Wedgwood and Davy in making temporary copies of objects by the action of light in sensitized surfaces. When the details of Daguerre's process for fixing camera images were published in various New York newspapers on 20 September 1839, Draper was ready for the greatest remaining challenge, to take a photographic portrait. A New York mechanic, Alexander S. Wolcott, apparently won the race by 7 October. But if Draper knew of this, he persisted in his own experiments and succeeded in taking a portrait not later than December 1839. His communication to the Philosophical Magazine, dated 31 March 1840, was the first report received in Europe of any photographer's success in portraiture. The superb likeness of his sister Dorothy Catharine, taken not later than July 1840, with an exposure of sixty-five seconds, seems to be the oldest surviving photographic portrait. In the busy winter of 1839 1840, Draper also took the first photograph of the moon and launched, in a very modest way, the age of astronomical photography.

1838 FIRST WEATHER MAP PRINTED IN THE U.S.

James P. Espy. "Report of the Committee on Meteorology to the Board of Managers of the Franklin Institute, embodying the facts collated by the Meteorologist relative to the storm of the 16th, 17th, and 18th March, 1838", in: "Journal of the Franklin Institute", 1838.

(The report is signed by Espy at the last line.) Illustrated with a folding map, also by the pioneering Espy: Map Embodying the Information Received by the Committee on Meteorology of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania in Relation to the Storm of March, 16th, 17th, & 18th, 1838, Illustrating the Report of the Meteorologist., and is a folding 23x27cm, and which was lithographed ( by steam ) by Duval in Philadelphia. In: "Journal of the Franklin Institute", Philadelphia, Vol 22 (new series) vol 26 overall, July-December 1838, with text illustrations, and a folding map. 442pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; and the remnants of a paper spine call number label; also a few stamps on the title page. That said, still in Very Good condition. The map is in excellent condition, without any tears, and printed on a good, thin paper. __+__ This is the first weather map printed in the U.S. The first weather map(s) to be printed by the U.S. government occurred with the same author, in 1850, in ESPY, James Pollard. (1785-1860) "Letter of the Secretary of the Navy Transmitting the Report [containing] Second Report on Meteorology to the Secretary of the Navy (wh …

1839 Daguerre and Fox Talbot

Photogenic Drawing followed by Photogenic Drawings in The Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. XXIII, April, 1839. Franklin Institute, 1839. (Daguerre and Fox Talbot) "Photogenic Drawing followed by Photogenic Drawings" in The Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. XXIII, April, 1839, No.4, pp. 263-265 (about 1500 words). Bound in half-calf and marbled boards.There are two shadows left on the spine bottom from call numbers; there are also some library marks and a stamp on the front cover, otherwise this is a very nice copy. __+__ The first paper gives an account (taken from the London Mechanical Magazine), occupying pp 263-4, of the Daguerre process; the second, pp 264-5, gives an account of the Fox Talbot method as it first appeared in the British Association/Athenaeum.__+__ These I believe are among the earliest of U.S. journal references for two of the earliest photographic processes the Fox Talbot method was much different from the Daguerre though much less known and certainly underappreciated as it was arguably the superior. Also in this volume: John C. Trautwin, Some remarks on the Internal Improvement of the South , pp 10-22, with a nice (hand-colored) folding map. AND a lovely plate of Eastwick & Harrison's Improved Locomotive Engine AND a two-part paper on Espy's Theory of Centripetal Storms, AND Col. Reid's Law of Storms Examined , and much else.__+__ This early period of photography cannot be passed over without mention of the name of Henry Fox Talbot of England He was a man of many sided scientific character and an independent investigator in the photographic field prior to Daguerre's discovery and therefore not inspired by it to investigation.

1839

“Invention of Photogenic Drawings”, p.208, from Mechanic's Magazine;

“Light Drawn Pictures”, pp 208-9, Mechanic's Magazine;

“The Daguerrotype Explained”, pp 209-210 (“A.D.B.”, Alexander Dallas Bache).

All in the September, 1839 issue of Journal of the Franklin Institute, printed in Philadelphia by the Institute, 1839. The entire volume offered, volume 28 (new series vol 24) , (442pp). Bound in half-calf and marbled boards. The spine is scuffed and chipped at head and toe, and the front board is detached. Also, this is an ex-library copy, with stamps on the title page. All that said, the text is fresh and crisp. A GOOD copy, only. $500

Bound with:

Daguerre. “Practical description of the Process called the Daguerreotype, which consists of the spontaneous reproductions of the images of natural objects, in the Camera Obscura...” In the November issue of the same volume, pp 303-311, with four drawings in text.

All of these are very early journal publications on the new art of photography.

“A scientific friend having kindly sent to me, from Paris, a paper containing the authorized explanation of the process of M. Daguerre, which has attracted so much attention, I have made an abstract of it, which is at your service. The condition under which M. Daguerre received a pension from the French Government was, that he should make all the steps of his process public. His communication was first made confidentially to a Committee of the Institute, and M. Arago, acting as their organ, states that some of the steps of the process are not explicable by known laws...”--from “The Daguerrotype Explained”

Franklin Institute, 1841. Volume 32 (overall), Third Series, vol II. The article occupies pp 66-7 in the issue of 430pp. Bound in half calf and marbled boards. Ex-library copy, with ghost imprint of two small rectangles of Dewey call numbers on the spine, plus bookplate, and a blindstamp owner stamp on the title page. Spine is somewhat scuffed and rubbed, and in general a bit tatty. Good condition, only.$600

Mr. Wolcott, a great but perhaps obscure name in the very early history of photography, had a very busy 1840—and it is a good thing, as the poor man would die young just four yers later. In March of that year he and a partner would open the first U.S. Daguerrian Parlor in NYC, and evidently the world's first commercial daguerreotype gallery. (John Hannavy, Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography.

A few months later, on May 8^th, 1840, Wolcott would be granted the first patent in the United States in photography (US Patent No. 1582) —this is the subject of the article from the Franklin Instuitute that is being sold (above). The patent was for a variation of the Daguerre process, using a mirror instead of a lens. The great factor introduced by the new process was reducing the amount of sitting/posing time by about 75%, to somewhere in the 5-9 minute range.

“I, Alexander S. Wolcott...have invented a new and improved method of taking likenesses from life” Wolcott begins in the article, and then proceeds in a very compact way to describe the camera and the entire process. It is one of those articles that announces so much using so few words (600 or so, I reckon).

1840 The Daguerreotype” in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, 1840

“The Daguerreotype”, long paragraph on p 142 on the “great obstacle to the use of M. Daguerre's photogenic process, is the great difficulty of preserving the pictures when completed.” in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, printed by the Institute, 1840. Offered in the volume of 430pp. There's also a second very short notice on the daguerreotype on p 285 regarding a “curious use” for the instrument: making a landscape photo with a crowd of people in it all of whom need to stand still for five minutes. Condition: calf-backed marbled boards. The calf is pretty scruffy and rubbed, and the front point is half cracked; also the hinges are both starting; lastly this is an ex-library copy with stamps on the title page. All that said, the text is crisp and clean. Overall, just a GOOD copy. __+__ Also included is this description of an early optical machine in the genre of motion pictures: Description of an Optical Machine exhibited by Rd. Roberts of Manchester, to the Members of the British Association.1835 pp 221-223, 4 figures in text. “Trepiscope: an optical machine made by the late Richard Roberts of Manchester and first shown at the meeting of the British Association at Dublin in 1835. The machine being turned by hand or by power will cause the card on the disc to revolve from 6,000 to 40,000 times a minute on viewing the revolving disc through the eye hole the printing on the card can be read with ease and distinctness.

1840

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 26 (new series) vol 30 overall, July-December 1840, with text illustrations. 430 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine and leather cover tips; front joint sprung though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. In Solid VERY GOOD condition. $125

“Atmospheric Railways”, mostly regarding the practicing example on the railway between Birmingham and Bristol, pp 211-215 (an atmospheric railway is one that use air pressure differentials for a power source).

Chevalier de Gerstner, “Rail-roads of the United States”, pp 89-102, which is a very early report on railroads in this country, and which has several tables and a long collection of data. It includes a statement on the railroads of North Carolina which has the “longest line of railroads as yet completed by a single company in the United States...an uninterrupted straight line of 47 miles in length...”

Jelinger C. Symons, “Arts and Artisans at Home and Abroad...”, pp 7-10, 73-81, 145-151 (though one earlier section is included in a preceding volume). This contains a long discussion of working conditions, such as the following: “The hours of factory labour in Austria are cruelly long, being frequently in the factories of the interior 15 hours per day, exclusive of meal time; and not unfrequently 17 hours. No law protects the children. At Messrs. Escher and Kennedy’s, a humaner system is adopted, and the time of work seldom exceeds from 13 to 14 hours.”

Francis Chevalier de Gerstner, “Letter from the United States of North America on Internal Improvements, Steam Navigation, Banking, & c.”, pp 289-301, 361-369; “Fare for Passengers on Railroads”, pp 369-371

Also there are numerous reports on plows, guns, gun boats, steamships, boilers, locomotive explosions, railroads, screw propellers, and much more.

William Shand, “Observations on the Adaptation of Public Buildings to the Propagation of Sound, Consistently with Speech”, pp 1-6; W. Cossage, “Propelling by Steam Power on Canals”, pp 73-77; W. Bridges, “On Wooden Railways”; Thomas Tate, “Problems on Steam Power”, pp 149-155; James Dean, “on the Diameter of Screws”, pp 202-211; Muzio Muzzio, “Directing the Course of Aerostats or Balloons...” pp 383-384.

Not of particular technological history importance but highly enjoyable is the “Contributions towards a History of Inventions, or Memoranda collected chiefly from obsolete Authors”, pp 278-, in which there is a review of several dozen inventions (or suggestions thereof) found in Hugh Platte's 1594 “The Jewell House of Art and Nature, containing diverse rare and profitable inventions...”.

1841

WOLCOTT, Alexander J. Specifications of a patent for an improved apparatus for taking Daguerreotype Likeness. Granted to Alexander J. Wooldcott, cit of New York, May 8, 1840. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, edited by Thomas P. Jones. Philadelphia.

(Daguerre and Fox Talbot) “Photogenic Drawing” followed by “Photogenic Drawings” in The Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. 32, April, 1839, No.4, pp. 263-265 (about 1500 words). Bound in half-calf and marbled boards.There are two shadows left on the spine bottom from call numbers; there are also some library marks and a stamp on the front cover, otherwise this is a very nice copy. $500

The first paper gives an account (taken from the London Mechanical Magazine), occupying pp 263-4, of the Daguerre process; the second, pp 264-5, gives an account of the Fox Talbot method as it first appeared in the British Association/Atheneum.

These I believe are the first U.S. journal references for the two processes of some of the earliest photographic processes—the Fox Talbot method was much different from the Daguerre though much less known and certainly underappreciated as it was arguably the superior.

Also in this volume: John C. Trautwin, “Some remarkson the Internal Improvement of the Soth”, pp 10-22, with a nice (hand-colored) folding map. AND a lovely plate of Eastwick & Harrison's “Imrpoved Locomotive Engine” AND a two-part paper on Espy's Theory of Centripteal Storms, AND Col. Reid's “Law of Storms Examined”, and much else.

“This early period of photography cannot be passed over without mention of the name of Henry Fox Talbot of England He was a man of many sided scientific character and an independent investigator in the photographic field prior to Daguerre's discovery and therefore not inspired by it to investigation. In 1839 January 31st he read a paper before the Royal Society entitled “Some Account of the Art of Photogenic Drawing etc” embodying a practical process on paper based on the abandoned process of Wedgewood and Davy which he improved and also completed by fixing the pictures although imperfectly...”--JFI, dec 1899, vol 148, p 4 11.

1841

“Photogenic Drawing” In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, edited by Thomas P. Jones. Philadelphia, printed by the Franklin Institute, 1841. Volume 31 (Third Series, Vol 1), pp 59-60 (about 450 words) in the volume of 429pp. Half-calf, with marbled boards. . Ex-library copy, with ghost imprint of two small rectangles of Dewey call numbers on the spine, plus bookplate, and a blindstamp owner stamp on the title page. Spine is somewhat scuffed and rubbed, and and in general a bit tatty. Good condition, only. $200

“Professor Schafthaeutl of Munich described his mode of obtaining photogenic drawings resembling those of Mr [Henry Fox] Talbot where the lights are represented by shadows and also two new methods of procuring drawings similar to those of the Daguerreotype in which the lights and shades are represented as in nature The first is on paper prepared as follows...”

This is the only mention of photography or Daguerre in this first half of 1841 in the JFI.

1842

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 3 (third series) vol 33 overall, January-June 1842, with text illustrations, folding charts, one engraved plate. 430 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine and leather cover tips; front joint sprung though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. The front board unfortunately is almost entirely detached, held on by two tie at top and bottom joint. In solid GOOD condition. $750

(Talbot, H.F.) “Calotype”, (“The following account of some recent improvements in photography, one of the most important early advances in the history of photography, appearing June 10, 1841 at the Royal Society) pp 89-93. A very early printing in the U.S. of the new process. “Calotype, also called talbotype, early photographic technique invented by William Henry Fox Talbot of Great Britain in the 1830s. In this technique, a sheet of paper coated with silver chloride was exposed to light in a camera obscura; those areas hit by light became dark in tone, yielding a negative image. The revolutionary aspect of the process lay in Talbot’s discovery of a chemical (gallic acid) that could be used to “develop” the image on the paper—i.e., accelerate the silver chloride’s chemical reaction to the light it had been exposed to. The developing process permitted much shorter exposure times in the camera, down from one hour to one minute. The developed image on the paper was fixed with sodium hyposulfite. The “negative,” as Talbot called it, could yield any number of positive images by simple contact printing upon another piece of sensitized paper. Talbot’s process was superior in this respect to the daguerreotype, which yielded a single positive image on metal that could not be duplicated. Talbot patented his process in 1841.”----Encyclopedia Britannica

Some of the other articles of interest:

“Baldwin's Geared Truck Locomotive Engine”, pp 208-209 (with a lovely full-page elevation of the Baldwin machine).

Louis Daguerre, “New Photographic Discoveries”, translated from the French by Prod. F. Frazer (a half-page article on pg 109.

Ellwood Morris, “On the Force of the Wind and Sea...” pp10-21;

John Herapath, “Facts and Observations on Four and Six-Wheel Engines”, pp 244-249; W.A. Provis, “Effect of Wind on the Menai Suspension Bridge”, pp 210-214;

T.R. Robinson, “History of the Reflecting Telescope”, pp392-398

1842

Ludwig Ferdinand Moser (1805-1880). “Photography”, in: Journal of the Franklin Institute, edited by Thomas P. Jones and James J. Mapes. Philadelphia, printed by the Franklin Institute, 1842. Volume 34 (overall), Third Series, vol IV, 430pp, this article occupying pp 417-418. Bound in half (deep blue) calf and marbled boards. Ex-library copy, with ghost imprint of two small rectangles of Dewey call numbers on the spine, plus bookplate, and a blindstamp owner stamp on the title page. Spine has six raised bands, with gilt-stamped panel designs; the spine is pretty rubbed, though the panels are legible; also, there is a small half-inch piece missing from spine bottom. A GOOD copy, only.

On the “Moser Images”, entitled “Photography”, which turns out to be a word newly coined, appearing just three years earlier (according to the OED).

“A very remarkable discovery, with respect to the self-transmitting property of figured surfaces, under certain circumstances, has been recently made by Dr. Moser, of Konigsberg, which would seem to
indicate that there is something else than light concerned in the production of such effects, and that we must look for some fitter term than Photo-graphy to designate the branch of science or art to which
they belong. The following is the account of this discovery, brought to this country by Professor Bessel...”,

“This paper gave rise to an animated conversation, in the course of which M. Bessel said that he had seen some of the pictures taken by this process, which were nearly, but not quite, as good as those ob-
tained by Mr. Talbot’s process. Sir D. Brewster said, this was the germ of one of the most extraor-
dinary discoveries of modern days; by it there seemed to be some thermal effect which became fixed in the black substance; and not only so, but M. Bessel informed him that different lights seemed to
affect different vapors variously, so that there seemed to be something like a power of rendering light latent—a circumstance which, if it turned out so, would open up very new and curious conceptions of
the physical nature of light. On the emission theory, it would be easy to account for this; on the undulatory theory, he could not conceive how it could be possible. ...”--from the Mechanical Magazine (London)

Also includes: M. Dumas, “On the Chemical Statics of Organized Beings”, pp 23-28, 89-92, 170-175, and concluding on pp 247-252.

William C. Redfield (1789-1857, the great early U.S. Meteorologist and pioneer in the earliest weather maps), “On the Evidence of a general Whirling Action in the Providence Tornado”, pp 252-264.

1843

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 5 (third series) vol 35 overall, January-June 1843, with text illustrations. 430, 8 pp., and one folding plate. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine and leather cover tips nearly obscuring the gilt-stamped title; front joint sprung, though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. In Solid GOOD condition.

The great attraction in this volume is the gorgeous lithograph of a steam railway locomotive illustrating “Letter from Charles Moering...to Messrs. Eastwick and Harrison, Locomotive Builders...Philadelphia”, pp 15-19. The illustration is 20”x15” (folded), and titled “Eastwick & Harrison Patent Improved Locomotive”, lithographed by Duval of Philadelphia, drawn by J.R. Hoessli, and printed 1842. The name of the locomotive is “Mercury”. It is just a lovely thing, nearly without blemish, with no tears along any folds.

Poncelet, “Memoir upon the Stability of Revetments...” translated by John Sanders, long article pp. 1-11, 73-79, 217-225, 289-295, 361-371, and concluded in the next volume (available elsewhere via this store). Also an article on a modern steam shovel (with illustration), painting frescoes, plus articles on various railways, roofing for a diorama, concrete, batteries, astronomical clocks, preserving timber, and much else.

1843

George Cayley and William Henson--Early Aviation Retrospect of the Progress of Aerial Navigation." and "On the Principles of Aerial Navigation" .and others, in Journal of the Franklin Institute, 1843

Cayley, George and William Henson, and others: papers in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, volume VI (third series) and vol 36 (overall). 429pp. Half calf. Ex-library, with evidence of a call number slip on spine bottom and a large bookplate on front pastedown, The front joint is sprung,and nearly half off, and there's scuffing on the spine. Good copy.

Cayley, George. "Retrospect of the Progress of Aerial Navigation, and demonstration of the Principles by Which it must be governed", in Journal of the Franklin Institute, August, 1843; pp 132-134. _____. "On the Principles of Aerial Navigation" September 1843, volume 6 (third series) vol 36 overall; pp 203-209, 4 charming figures in text. (Original appearing in the London Mechanic's Magazine April 2, 1842.) Now widely regarded as 'The Father of Aeronautics', Sir George Cayley (1773-1857) evolved the idea of an aircraft with fixed wings, in which the principle of lift was separated from the propulsion system, and in which inherent stability, as well as tail-unit control-surfaces, must be incorporated. --Royal Aeronautical Society website intro to Cayley.__+__ AND: [William S. Henson, 1812-1888] "On the Steam Power of Mr. Henson's Flying Machine", pp 281-2, with 4 text illustrations. "The aerial steam carriage, also named Ariel, was a flying machine patented in 1842 that was supposed to carry passengers into the air. It was, in practice, incapable of flight since it had insufficient power from its heavy steam engine to fly. A more successful model was built in 1848 which was able to fly for s …

1844

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 8 (third series) vol 38 overall, July-December 1844, with text illustrations. 430, 8 pp., and one folding plate. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine and leather cover tips nearly obscuring the gilt-stamped title. The boards are detached, though binding still tight; also a few stamps on the title page. Text is Good and crisp; binding is FAIR at best. $250

Cundell, George S. [1798-1882, and one of four brothers who together made an impact in the early history of photography] “Extracts from an Article on the Practice of the Calotype Process of Photography”, pp 43-51 (in the July 1844 issue), an extract from his major paper in the Philosophical Magazine printed two months earlier (vol. .xxiv., No. 160. May, 1844) this being one of the processes earliest appearance in print in the U.S. (The essence of the article is very much a DYI/How-to instructional.)

“George Cundell’s process was a significant step forward in making the Calotype accessible to the Amateur photographer. He was referred to as “Most Worthy Master” by the great engineer of the day James Nasmyth. And indeed his instructions were still being cited well into the 1850s. One contemporary quoted in Humphrey’s Journal in 1856 that “Amateurs date their success from the time Mr Cundell published. His comprehensive instructions were printed in the London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical magazine in May 1844 “.—from the Papers, Shadows and Light website.

Another photographic item in the volume:

“Robert Hunt, “Energiatype, a New Photographic Process”, 283-285, a ferrotype, and an early alternative process, (from the London Rep. Pat. Inventions).

Also:

“Mr. Bain’s Electric Printing Telegraph”, pp 61-65;

H.M. Denham, “Description and Structure of the Wyre (Seward) Lighthouse…” pp 3-4 AND “Specification of the above Screw Pile Light-house…”, pg 5, with two plates accompanying the two short reports);

And two short papers on the newly-implemented modern screw propeller:

“Remarks on the Screw Propeller”, September 1844, pp 145-154;

“Account of some Experiments on a Vessel called “the Liverpool Screw”, fitted with Grantham’s Engine and Woodcroft’s Screw Propeller…from the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Inst of Civil Engineers), pp 86-101.

Plus:

“Report on the Explosion of the Gun on Board the Steam Frigate ‘Princeton’”, pp 206-216;

G.W. Hughes, “Extracts from a report…Relative to the Working of Copper Ore”, pp 31-43, 124-133, 194-202, 261-267 (including a section on Cornish pumps, concluded);

Scoles, J.J. “On the Pyramids of Egypt”, pp 6-12, 81-85;

“The Dipleidoscope” (a transit instrument);

And last but hardly the least:

John Leonard, “Report on the Atmospheric Railway”, pp 361-367 (from the Civil Engineers and Architects Journal), this being a stationary engine that would move rail cars in a pressurized tube).

1846

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1846; volume 11 (third series) and volume 46 overall, with text illustrations and three plates, 430 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper, and a very large bookplate at front pastedown. Also, there is some sort of old indentation across the top of the front board. That said, this is a nice, fresh, crisp copy. GOOD only (because of the front board issue, mainly.

Robert Hunt, “The Influence of Magnetism on Molecular Arrangements”, pp 202-206

Faraday, Michael. “On the Magnetisization of Light, and the Illumination of Magnetic Lines of Forms”, pp 139-141;

(Faraday) Richard Laming, “Observations ona paper by Prof Faraday concerning Electric Conduction and the Nature of Matter:, pp 184-187;

Kemble, “Steam Navigation”, pp 217-236, 289-310, and 361-382;

Merteus, “Panoramic Daguerreotype”, p 213;

“Lights for Lighthouses”, pp 419-421.

(Morse), “Report on Prof. Morse's Electro-Magnetic Telegraph (February 1838); ALSO: “Report on Telegraphs for the United States”, reprinting the Levi Woodbury report April 15, 1837 and published in the JFI April 1838, pp 253-258.

Samuel Morse sends his first public demonstration message of his and Alfred Vail's recording electromagnetic telegraph over two miles of wire on January 6 1838 at Speedwell Ironworks near Morristown, New Jersey. Morse then demonstrated his invention to the Franklin Institute on February 8, 1838 and then on February 21 1838 to President Van Buren and members of the Congressional Committee on Commerce at D.C. (“Reports of the Capitol demonstration were published in the American Journal of Science and Arts, v. xxiii, p. 168, and in the London Mechanics' Magazine for 10 February 1838.”

By the time of the Capitol demonstration, Vail already had produced the new instrument, the register, that embossed dots and dashes on a moving paper tape by a stylus operated by an electromagnet, the circuit being opened and closed by a manual key. A later version is shown at the right. The key was used for winding up the weight (not shown) that drove it. The register worked much better than Morse's original pendulum contraptions. Morse could see no difference, but an idea is not an invention, and Vail had taken the essential step of reducing the invention to practice. The essential new element was the large electromagnets with many turns that required only a small line current. One of the greatest advantages of the Morse system over its competitors proved to be its production of a permanent record of a message, which other telegraphs (as far as Morse knew) did not do.

Also bound with:

Charles Goodyear, “Specification of a Patent for divesting Caoutchouc, or India Rubber, of its adhesive properties...” in the March issue, reporting on patent of June 17, 1837, pp 186-188.

“Of Sand, and Hydraulic Sand”, pp 89-94;

Thomas Elliot Harrison, “Specification of a Patent for an Improvement in Locomotive Engines...”, pp 122-123; Hall, “Abstract of the Specification of Mr. Samuel Hall's Patent Paddle Wheel”, pp 124-5;

Reade, “Method of producing a Permanent Soap Bubble, illustrating the colors of thin plates”, pp 65-66;

“On Concrete, Circumstances in which it is advantageous to use it”, pp 145-153;

“Alexander's Electric Telegraph”

1847

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 14 (third series) vol 44 overall, July-December, 1847, with text illustrations. 430 pp., with two plates. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; front joint somewhat sprung, also a few stamps on the title page. Very Good condition. $300

Some of the interesting articles include:

John Draper, On the Production of Light by Heat” (from the Philosophical Magazine”), pp 122-128 and 197-203.

“In one of his most important memoirs (1847), he proved that all solid substances become incandescent at the same temperature, that thereafter with rising temperature they emit rays of increasing refrangibility, and (a fundamental proposition of astrophysics, later elaborated upon by Kirchhoff) that incandescent solids produce a continuous spectrum. Draper implied in the mid-1840’s and stated clearly in 1857 that the maxima of luminosity and of heat in the spectrum coincide. For the sum of his researches on radiant energy, Draper received the Rumford Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1875).”--Complete (online) DSB

Henry Bessemer, “On the Resistance of all the Atmosphere to Railway Trains, and a Means of Lessening the same”, pp 145-149;

Franklin Peale, “On Balances” (by the Chief Coiner of the Mint of the U.S.), pp 59-65 (with two plates of the apparatus);

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec”, pp 15-21;

“On Lord Rosse's Telescope”, pp 276-281, 345-352.

1847

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 13 (third series) vol 48 overall, January-June 1847, with text illustrations. 442 pp., with two plates and three folding maps. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; front joint sprung, also a few stamps on the title page. Good condition. $150

Examples of interesting articles include:

Michael Faraday, “On Gunpowder”, pp 284-5; “Report of the Commissioners...to Locate Certain Portions of the New York and Erie Railroad...”, pp 289-301, accompanied by a lovely 24”x4” folding chart, “profile of the New York and Erie Railroad”, from Piermont to Dunkirk on Lake Erie, a distance of 451 miles. This is a profile, showing the elevations of (42) various points of the railway.

D.P. Gardner, “Dr. Gardner's Memoir upon the Chemical Principles of the Rotation of Crops”, pp 106-113; “On the Manufacture of Metallic Pens”, pp 114-115;

Twentieth Annual report of the President...of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company”, pp 1-8, 73-85; “The Gauge Commission” (on the diversity of Railway gauges in England), pp 9-14, 85-93, 157-166; Grant, Wm. H. “Extracts from Observations on the Western Trade, in reference to the proposed Hudson River Railroad”, pp 166-172; Thomas Lever Ruston, “Certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron”, pp 48-50 (with a plate); “On the Staffordshire Potteries”, pp 56-65, 115-124; “Self-Registering Instruments”, pp 136-139; “remarks respecting the Copper District of Lake Superior...”, pp 338-345 with small folding map; George Edwards, “On the Application of Gunpowder as an Instrument of Engineering Operations...”, pp 353-360; “Survey of the Ithsmus of Panama”, pp 304-310, 361-366

1849

(William E. Staite), “Specification of Staite's Patent Electric Light”, [Patent dated July 13, 1847 specifications enrolled July 13, 1848.] in the Specification of English Patents sections, in Journal of the Franklin Institute, printed in Philadelphia at the Franklin, 1849; volume 17, third series, whole no. 47, pp 263-268, with 8 small woodcut figures of the apparatus. Offered in the volume of 498pp. Half-calf and marbled boards, raised bands, gilt dentelles. Good/VG condition, with a ghost-appearance of a spine label at bottom and rubbing along spine edges, ex-library stamps on title page, and a large (and not very attractive) bookplate. Crisp copy.

W.E. Staite (1809-54) and W. Petrie (1821-1904) were pioneers of electric lighting who received little recognition for their work. Although a satisfactory self-regulating arc lamp was developed, commercial success was not achieved owing to their reliance on primary batteries as the only source of power. Numerous demonstrations were given throughout England, and serious interest in their system of electric lighting was shown by railway companies and dock authorities. The death of Staite in 1854 brought to an end these early attempts to use electricity for illumination. And: The pioneers. were finally defeated by the limitations and the expense of the primary cells which were their only source of electrical energy. -- Staite and Petrie: pioneers of electric lighting , G. Woodward, in IEE Proceedings A - Physical Science, Measurement and Instrumentation, Volume: 136 , Issue: 6 , Nov. 1989.

Also in this volume: Richad Clarke Burleigh, Specifications.for Certain Improvements in Artificial Light , pp 98-102; Robert Bunsen and Lyon Playfair, Report on the Gases evolved from Iron Furnaces, with reference to the Theory of the Smelting of Iron , pp 268-279, 338-344,387-393, and concluded in the next volume;George Buchanan, On the Strength of Materials as Applicable to the Construction of Wrought Iron Bridges.--On the Traverse or Cross Strain ; 223-230; J.F.W. Herschel, Description of a Lunar Rainbow , p 123; Thomas Ewbank, On the Paddles of Steamers. pp 42-50, 107-114; and many others on railroads, bridges, steam, and so on.

1850

Fizeau and E. Gounelle, “Examinations of the Velocity of Propagation of Electricity”, pp 61-63; in Journal of the Franklin Institute, printed in Philadelphia at the Franklin, 1849; volume 20, third series, whole no. 50, offered in the volume of 432pp, July-December 1850. Half-calf and marbled boards, raised bands, gilt dentelles. Good/VG condition, with a ghost-appearance of a spine label at bottom and rubbing along spine edges, ex-library stamps on title page, and a large (and not very attractive) bookplate. Crisp copy. $125

Also bound with:

(Siemens) “Report upon the Telegraphic Apparatus of M. Siemens”, pp 209-212,

D’Aubuisson de Voisins, “On the Motion of Water in Conduit Pipes…”, pp 1-8, 73-83,

Wm. W. Hubbell, “Description of the Solar Magnetic Engine”, pp 126-134 (with a folding plate), 193-195; Antoine Claudet, “On the Properties of the Diamond for Cutting Glass, with descriptions of machines invented by the author…”, pp 212-214;

Chas. Page, “Report of…upon Electro-Magnetism as a Moving Power”, pp 267-271;

Robert Hunt, “On the Application of Electro-Magnetism as a Motive Power”, pp 334-336;

Michael Faraday, “On Certain Conditions of Freezing Water”, pp 283-284;

“A Chapter in the History of Railway Locomotion”, pp 225-230, 230-299;

Scorsby, “On Atlantic Waves, their Magnitude, Velocity, and Phenomena”, pp 384-389;

John MacGregor, “Electric Telegraphs”, pp 413-414, and many others.

1852

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 24 (third series), volume 54 (overall), July-December 1852; 442 pp.,with text illustrations, and four plates, including three folding.. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. $175

Gustave Legray, “Description of a New Method of Preparing Negative Photographic Paper”, pp 65-66;

“Engraved Photographs—Bollier’s Paper Cutting Machine—Colt’s Revolver”, collodion photograph ”taken directly on the wood”;

Fairbairn, W. “On Metallic Construction”, pp 1-5, 73-81;

Michael Faraday, “Experimental; Researches in Electricity, Twenty-Ninth Series”, pp 66-68;

Michael Faraday, “On the Lines of Magnetic Force”, pp 108-111;

Turnbull, “On the Telegraphic Lines of the World”, pp 40-45, 133-138, 256-259;

Hare, “On Tornados as an Electrical Storm”, pp 28-40;

William Jeffers, “Remarks on the Rifle”, p 145-154; 183-190;

William Jeffers, “Remarks on the Application of Steam to Ships of War”, 289-295;

William Jeffers, “Remarks upon Maynard’s System of Priming for Fire Arms”, pp 339-343

J.C. Bourne, “The Screw and Paddle Combined”, pp 317-323;

Charles Wheatstone, “Contributions to the Physiology of Vision, Part II”, pp 196-199

And numerous other contributions.

1853

Theodore Poesche, “A Plan for Aerial Navigation by Means of Steamers, without the aid of a Balloon”, pp 176-8. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 25 (third series), volume 55 (overall), January-June 1855, 444 pp, with text illustrations, with 11 plates, 10 folding. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Good condition. $175

Poesche, continued:

“The wing is a screw blade, which works up and down, and thus exerts the force of an inclined plane. As it is concave underneath, and convex above it compresses the air below it, and thus supports the body of the animal. My ship most nearly resembles the flying fish, which progresses by means of the spiral action of the tail, while its extended fins support it for a time in the air.”

The description paints a picture to me of a ship with wheels that will fly. I mean, it is so stated in the title, but I thought it might just be referencing a steam engine or something and not a boat. Here’s a description of part of the craft:

“When the screw is put in motion by the engine the ship will run over the ground upon the wheels. For the purpose of ascension the ship is furnished at its sides with large inclined planes of double glued canvass d stretched upon iron frames e which act like the plane of a boy's kite. These planes turn upon iron axes f which are adjusted under the heavy beam of the deck g. An iron rod h gives the means of turning these axes and regulating the angle of inclination. Let them be fixed at an angle of 45 and the vessel be propelled rapidly by means of the screw and the air compressed by their resistance will lift the ship…”

(Ericsson) “The Caloric Engine”, pp 123-129; The Ericsson cycle (and the similar Brayton cycle) receives renewed interest today to extract power from the exhaust heat of gas (and producer gas) engines and solar concentrators. An important advantage of the Ericsson cycle over the widely known Stirling engine is often not recognized: the volume of the heat exchanger does not adversely affect the efficiency.”—Wiki

Michael Faraday, “On the Physical Lines of Magnetic Force” (from the London Athenaeum, pp 168-172;

(Niepce de Saint-Victor) “Photography—the Fixation of Colors” (from the London Athenaeum, November 1852), pp 141-2;

(Avogardo and Regnault) “Memoir on the Consequences to be deduced from the Experiments of M. Regnault, on the Laws of the Compressibility of the Gases. By M. Avogardo. From the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences of Turin…” pp 44-45, and in turn published and translated for the JFI in 1852;

With a number of reports on different steam ships, including the North Star, Water Witch, Arctic, Magnolia, and a long report on the famous ship “Princeton”, by W. Fairbairn, pp 375—385, which is concluded in the next volume.

1854

John Trautwine, “Rough Notes of an Exploration for an Inter-Oceanic Canal Route by way of the Rivers Alrato and San Juan, in New Granada, South America”, pp 1-11 (with 7 lovely lithographic views), 73-84, 145-155, 217-226, 289-299 (concluded). (“John Cresson Trautwine (March 30, 1810, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – September 14, 1883, Philadelphia) was an American civil engineer, architect, and engineering writer. A consultant on numerous canal projects in North and South America, he was later remembered for reporting in 1852 that a canal through Panama would be impossible.”—Wiki)

In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 28 (third series), volume 58 (overall), July-December 1854, 444 pp.,with text illustrations, and three plates, including one folding.. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy.

Thomas Ewbank, “Thoughts on the Caloric Engine”, pp 178-184, 282-285,

Turnbull, “Observations on aa Telegraph Line between Europe and America”, pp 58-62;
Cresson, “Remarks upon the Use of Phonic Signals in Navigation”, pp 397-400, with a lovely plate.

1855

Haupt, H. [BOLLMAN BRIDGE] “Report…on Bollman’s Patent Iron Suspension Bridge (October 1854), pp 289-294, with a delightful little view of the bridge as a woodcut in text. This is a very early appearance on the Wendal Bollman bridge, which was a revolutionary truss and materials concept, and the first iron truss bridge built for railroads. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 29 (third series), volume 59 (overall), January-June 1855, 444 pp.,with text illustrations, and three plates, including one folding.. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy.

$175

Felix Abate, “Method of Representing Objects by Printing Directly from Them” (or “Metallography”, printing from engraved wood blocks on metallic surfaces. Phytoglphy, Nature-printing, patented by Bradbury and Evans), pp 59-61;

“The Telephone, a Telegraphic Alarm”, which seems so far as I can tell to be an acoustic system using four notes to signal over long distances, and also could be used as a fog-horn, with an effective distance of five miles.

Eisenlohr, W(ilehlm), “Ont eh Action of the Violet and Ultra-Violet Invisible Light”, pp 262-4, continuing on slightly-earlier work of Stokes and Draper—this seem to be the first U.S. printing of the paper after the Philosophical Magazine published it in English from the Annalen der Physik.

Michael Faraday, “Further Observations on associated cases, in Electric Induction, of Current and Static Effects”, pp 402-405 (from a paper published earlier in the year in the Philosophical Magazine);

[Michael Faraday] “On Magnetic Hypotheses”, pp 39-42;

[John Tyndall] “On some Peculiarities of the Magnetic Field”, pp 62-66;

“On the Flow of Gas Through Pipes”, pp 42-47, 121-125;

Wilson, “The Mints of the United States”, 49-56;

“The Mammoth Steamer of Great Britain” (“Leviathan” and “Great Eastern”), pp 56-8;

1856

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 31 (third series), volume 61 (overall), January-

June 1856, 443 pp.,with text illustrations, and three plates, including one folding.. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. $225 Contains many articles of interest, including an early report on industrialized aluminum, “nature printing”, the McCormack reaper patent case, lighthouses, the Suez Canal, and a lot more, including:

“Aluminum, the So-Called New Metal”, pp 27-31 and “History and Properties of Aluminium”, pp 65-7. I'd like to point out that I rarely see the hyphenated word “so-called” in the JFI. That said, aluminum had been around for 100+ years at this point, and then first truly described by Wohler, though it wasn't until the period of this vol of the JFI that aluminum was produced in such a way as to be industrially useful.

Henry Bradbury, “On Nature Printing”, pp 37-39. This was a style of printing in which a sample was impressed on a sheet of soft lead and then electroplated and use as a printing block, the result being some very defined imagery. Bradbury perfects a style of this printing and found it very useful even in the early age of mass-produced photo images.

“The Canal through the Isthmus of Suez”, pp 150-155, with a lovely litho view of the canal;

Herbert, “On the Construction of Buoys, Beacons, and other stationary floating bodies”, pp79-84;
Vaughan Merrick, “On the History and Construction of Iron Lighthouses, with a description of Coffin's Patches Light”, pp 145-150, with a lovely lithographic plate.

George Simmons, “Method of Calculating Excavation and Embankment”, pp 1-4;

Edward Allen, “Mechanical Engineering as applied to Farm Implements”, pp 41-45, 138-142 (with text illustrations), 186-190, 258-260, 334-338, 397-406 (to be concluded in the next volume)

C.H. McCormick vs. J.H. Manny, “Law Reports of Patent Cases: the Reaper Case”, pp 176-186;

David Stevenson, “Remarks on Floating and Fixed Lighthouses”, pp 221-227; John W. Nystrom, “Experiments on Sound for the Application of Ringing Bells”, pp 260-266; R.D. Thomson, “On the Condition of the Atmosphere during Cholera”, pp 202-204.

Also:

Erastus W. Smith, “United States Steam Mailer Fulton”, pp 339-340, with a beautiful folding plate of the ship.

Turnbull, Dr. L. “On the telegraph Lines of the World”, pp 40- (for the entry for the U.S., “a continuous sline of telegraph now extends from the verge of civilization on the western frontier (east of the Rocky Mountains) to the north-eastern extremity of the United States…”

1856 The First U.S. Mention of Underwater Photography

{William Thomson] “Photography Under Water”, one longish paragraph reporting on the May 1856 announcement in London Mechanics Magazine of the first underwater photographic adventure—and this only 17 years after the announcement of Daguerre’s invention. Found in the August issue of: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 32 (third series), volume 62 (overall), August-December 1856, 447 pp.,with text illustrations. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. $250

From the article on Thomson:

“The camera was placed in a box with a plate-glass front, and a movable shutter to be drawn up when the camera was sunk to the bottom. The camera being focused in this box on land for objects in the foreground, at about ten yards, or other suitable distance, was let down from a boat to the bottom of the sea, carrying with it the collodion plate, prepared in the ordinary way. When at the bottom
the shutter of the box was raised, and the plate was thus exposed for about ten minutes. The box was then drawn into the boat, and the image developed in the usual manner. A view was thus taken of the rocks and weeds lying.in the bottom of the bay. Mr. Thompson anticipates that it will be a ready and inexpensive means of arriving at a knowledge of the condition of piers, of bridges, piles, structures, and
locks under water.

Also in this volume:

Sanderson, “Mr. Bessemer’s Discovery”, pp 273-5 (from the London Mechanics Magazine).

“Experiments on Iron made by Mr. Bessemer’s Process”, pp 349-351.

Howson, “Description of H. & W. Brown’s Ice Boat”, (with three drawings, a design for a boat to break up ice and clear a channel).

1857

Henry Bradbury, “On Nature Printing”, which is a photographic process printing from natural objects directly onto metal, pp 42-47, 120-125, In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 33 (third series), volume 63 (overall), January-June 1857, 444 pp.,with text illustrations. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. Good condition. $175

William Thomson, “On Electrical Conduction in Submarine Cables’, pp 114-120;

Ellwood Morris, “On the Improvement of the Ohio River”, pp 1-13, 73-83, 145—153;

A.C. Jones, “On the Proper Mode of Constructing an Ice Boat”, pp 85-89

“Bessemer’s Improvements in Making Malleable Iron”, pp 133-138;

“The Atlantic Telegraph”, pp 139-140;

Thomas Silver, “Notice of a Marine Governor”, pp 181-183;

(Paul Pretsch), “On Photo-galvanography, engraving by Light and Electricity”, 208-210;

Henry D. Rogers, “On the Geology and Physical Geography of North America”, pp 224-230, 319-326, 363-368;

Claudet, “On Various Phenomena of Refraction through Semi-Lenses or Prisms…”, pp 265-269;

And many more.

1857

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 31 (third series), volume 61 (overall), July-December 1857, 443 pp.,with text illustrations. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. Good condition. $150.00 Includes such interesting works as:

Notes on the History of the Word "Frontier", Fulmer Mood, Agricultural History, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr., 1948), pp. 78-83 (6 pages)

Report on J.H. Cooper’s Hand Printing Machine”., pp 213-215Being a hand printing press, invented by John H. Cooper of Philadelphia. Here we have a lovely attempt at what is close to being a typewriter (a "hand-printing machine"), found in the Journal of the Franklin Institute for June 1857. The size isn't given but my guess is that it would be about the size of foolscap paper, easily desk-top. It seems fairly simple in a slightly complex way, and I can easily see where it would serve as a stop-gap implement between what came before and the typewriter.

The short article introducing the workings of the machine is surprisingly, and very readable, even though it is brisk and sharp. It is just well done.

It is difficult to see some of the annotations, even in the original, and even with a magnifying glass, but for that first indicator "H" you can find it just southward of the bell-like object ("M", which turns out to be a handle for the paper roller), and "E" was another difficult one to find, and that one turns out to be the pivot in the center of the type circular. In any event, the thing operates much like a typewriter, the lever "D" moved to the position of the letter needed, then pressed down, moving the type into place against the ink and the paper, which is loaded in rollers much like a modern typewriter.

“Report on Gordon’s Card Printing”—a machine unique for its combination of capabilities in printing, cutting, and counting the cards it prints., pp 212-213;

Milnor Roberts, “Practical Views on the Proposed Improvement of the Ohio River”, a long article in parts pp 23-38, 73-85, 146-158, 217-231, 289-303, 361-372 (concluded).

1858 Photography—Early, Different Processes

Niepce de Saint-Victor, “Phosphorescence and Fluorescence shown by means of Photography” pp 50-53. “Does a body, after being submitted to the action of light, preserve in the dark any impression of this light? The phosphorescence and fluorescence of bodies are known; but the experiments which I am about to describe, have never been made to my knowledge.” Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 35 (third series), volume 65 (overall), January-June 1858, with text illustrations, and three plates (two folding), 447 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. $200 Contains many articles of interest, including:

With:

Niepce de Saint-Victor, “Photography—Second Memoir on a new Action of Light”, pp 336-339;

Paul Pretsch, “Process of Photo-galvanography”, pp 56-58; exhibiting for the first time in public photographs made by this process…”pictures which are drawn by light , and are engraved by electricity or galvanism…the process is an exceedingly simple and beautiful one…”

Michael Scott & John Robertson, “On the Theory of Pile-driving”, pp 79-82 (a lovely article);

Bodie, “On Submarine Telegraph Cables”, pp145-151;

H.W. Dove, “On the Electrical Light”, pp 208-9;

Edward Miller, “The Highway of Nations—the Great National Pacific Railroad”, pp 217-223; and many others.

1858

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 36 (third series), volume 66 (overall), July-December 1858, with text illustrations, and one (folding) plate, 446 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. $150 Contains many articles of interest, including:

Edmond Becquerel, “Note Upon the Electric Light, and its Actual Cost, Compared with that of Gas, Oil, or Candle Light”, pp 204-207;

Lonridge, J.A. And C.H. Brooks, “On Submerging Submarine Cables”, pp 152-164;

“Submerging the Atlantic Cable”, pp 313-317;

Thomas Prosser, “Steam and its Condensation”, pp 88-93, with a lovely hand-colored plate;

Claudet, A., “Description of the Stereomonoscope”, pp 56-57;

J.T. Henry, “Improved Water Closet”, with two large text illustrations, pp 46-47;

“R.D. Granger's Improved Cooking Stove”, pp 42-4, with two large text illustrations;

William Fairbairn, “On the resistance of Tubes to Collapse”, pp 145-151, 227-234;

“Atlantic Telegraph”, a short paper containing the first full-throated proposal for laying a cable under the ocean in the Atlantic, pp 275-7;

Neil Robson, “On the Navigation of Canals by Screw Steamers”, pp 294-302;

1859

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 38 (third series), July-December 1859, with text illustrations, and one (movable) plate, 430 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. $15

“Supply of Coal”, an interesting approximation of the life of the coal supply, though the common denominator is badly defined. Anyway, the writer was thinking about the future supply of coal, reckoning it at 36,000 years.

Alfred Varley, “On the Physical Theory of Electricity in Submarine Telegraphy, the Electrical Difficulties in Long Circuits...” (on submarine cable communications), pp 52-61, 132-138, 199-206, 259-267

J.P. Espy, “Joule's Unit Verified”, pp 254-6;

James H. Warner, “Mechanical Expansion Table”, pp 4-5, with a plate exhibiting the table with a 6” long moving indicator affixed by string, in good working order. (This seems to be the only movable table in the whole of the journal.)

“Fog Signals by Sounds”, pp 61-2;

Hyde, “On Professor Hughes' System of Type-printing Telegraphs and methods of Insulation, with Special Reference to Submarine Cables”, pp 44-51, with a text illustration of the instrument; continued on pp 125-131 (concluded).

George Wallace, “On Embroidery by Machinery”, pp 181-188 (3 text illustrations), 273-277, 337-340 (concluded).

When They Hid the Fire: A History of Electricity and Invisible Energy in America

By Daniel French

"In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can't last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!"

1862

Henry Bessemer, “On the Manufacture of Cast Steel, and its Application to Construction Purposes”, pp 201-209; in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 43 (third series), January-June 1862, with text illustrations, 432 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy.

Also bound with:

(Admiral Fitzroy), “Reading the Barometer”, pp 313-319;

William Fairbairn, “On the Construction of Iron Ships of Great Length”, pp 385-394

J.K. Whilldin, “Memoranda on Electric Lights”, pp 217-222, with a plate;

E.S. Ritchie, “On Electrical Machines” (Ruhmkorff coils), p 58-60;

W.J. Macquorn Rankine, “Abstract of an Investigation of the Resistance of Ships”, pp 22-29;

“Growing of Plants by Artificial Life”, short note on p 29 (no discernible difference!);

Isaac Newton, “Ericsson’s Battery” (shot-proof vessels), pp 73-82;

John Tyndall, “Remarks on Radiation and Absorption”, pp 135-136;

“Iron-clad Steamers—Report of the Naval Board on the Stevens Battery”, pp 149-162

1864

“On the Photographing Natural Colors” (from the Practical Mechanics Journal, December 1862), pp 251-2, in Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 47 (third series), vol 77 overall, January-June 1864, with text illustrations and folding plates, 432 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy. Very Good. $125

Also with:

Herman Vogel, “Behavior of Chloride, Bromide, and Iodide of Silver in Light, and the Theory of Photography”, pp 122-127, 182-187;

“Electro-Magnetic Phonograph”, p 189-192 (direct recording from the piano etc., making them “melographic”);

S.W. Robinson, “Suspension and Arch Truss Bridges…” pp152-158;

John Tyndall, “An Account of some Researches on Radiant Heat”, pp 200-203 (from an address to the Royal Society for 12 June 1863);

“The Proposed Dictionary of Mechanical Fallacies”, pp 253-254;

D.M. Greene, “Economy in the Use of Steam”, pp 313-326;

And numerous other interesting articles.

1875

Crookes, William. “The Mechanical Action of Light”, July, 1877, pp 52-67, with several line drawings, including a very early image of his famous radiometer), and which in general is a long description of the apparatus used in the series of experiments. The paper appeared two months earlier in The Quarterly Journal of Science. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 70 (third series), vol 100 overall, July to December 1875, with text illustrations and 13 folding plates, 432 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; a few stamps on the title page. GOOD/VG condition. $150

The “Centennial Exhibition” article on pp 16-19 contains two lovely cross-section folding plates on the structure of the dome for the Arts Hall of the exhibition at Philadelphia

Leroy C. Cooley, “Contributions from the Physical Laboratory of Vassar College No 1—on the Theory of the Thermoscope”, pp 134-144) which looks t me to be a sort of radiometer). ‘The experimental method of teaching physical science begun by Benjamin Silliman, Sr., the first professor of chemistry at Yale University and founding editor of The American Journal of Science, was the model at Vassar from the beginning. Chemistry had been taught along with physics in Room C on the first floor of Main Building, which was very probably, according to Vassar's professor of chemistry, LeRoy C. Cooley, the site of the first laboratory work in the science by an American woman.”—Vassar Ency.

Charles S. Close, “Moving Brick Houses”, a tremendous article that outlines all you need to know about such a project. (“The screw jacks were set by one man alone, to ensure the equality of strain”! “The great excellence of this operation was its mechanical Roughness and simplicity.”) Wonderful—simply a sublime story.

(James Dwight Dana), “Dana’s corals and Coral Islands”, pp 208-215;

H.M.P. Birkinbine, “Stand-Pipe for Bloomington, Ill.” (with a lovely plate), pp 284-236;

Robert Briggs, Gas Works Engineering, pp 242-252 (with three folding plates), 324-339 (concluded).

S.M. Plush, “Quadruplex Telegraphy”, pp 265-272 (with a plate),

And numerous other efforts.

1876

John Lowe, “Speed of Screw Steamships…”, 40-48;

Francis Galloupe,

Jay duBois, “Continuous girders and Draw Spans”, pp 17-32, 100-120;

“Report…on the Dioptric Light of Gen. M.C. Meigs”, pp 81-84, with illustration;

Barnes, Memoranda Relating to Two 90-Feet Chimneys for Siemens’ Heating Furnaces at Edgar Thomson Steel Works”, pp 167-170;

Chernoff, “The Manufacture of Steel and Mode of Working It”, pp 177-186, 242-253;

Mansfield, A.K. “Isochronous Governors”, pp 233-241;

“The History of the Steam Engine in America”, pp 253-268, with 3 folding plates;

Tolver Preston, “Physics of the Ether”, pp 278-288;

“Street and Tram Locomotives”, pp 344-350;

Galloupe, Frank, “Certain Points in the development and Practice of Modern American Locomotive Engineering, Part I”, pp377-390, with a fine folding plate of a locomotive.

In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 71 (third series), vol 102 overall, June to December 1876, with text illustrations and 6 folding plates, 432 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; ex-library, with a few stamps on the title page. The binding is intact though the front joint is sprung. GOOD condition. $125

1876

Galloupe, Frank, “Certain Points in the Development and Practice of Modern American Locomotive Engineering” (continued from vol 72/103, also offered on this site by me) pp. 23-28, 106-113, 161-173, 307-315, 391-396 (concluded), with several plates.

In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 73 (third series), vol 103 overall, June to December 1876, with text illustrations and 6 folding plates, 434 (xvii) pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; ex-library, with a few stamps on the title page. The binding is intact though the front joint is sprung. GOOD condition. $125

Also bound with:

Jablochkoff, P. and L. Denayrouze, “The Divisbility of Electric Light”, pp 371-373;

“Steam on Street Railways”, pp379-390;

Robert Briggs, “The Escapement of the Hipp hronograph and the Measurement f Small Intervals of Time…”, pp. 89-101;

Elihu Thomson, “Cylinder Holtz Machine”, pp 207-209;

Lewis M. Haupt, “On the Best Arrangement of City Streets”, pp 252-257;

Lewis M. Haupt, “Street Pavements”, pp 323-327;

“Inventions of the Century”, pp 274-280.

1877 Oxygen in the Sun, Early Electric Lighting, and an Article on Bell’s Telephone

Henry Draper, "Discovery of Oxygen in the Sun by Photography, and a New Theory of the Solar Spectrum", in the August 1877 issue, pp 81-88, with a lovely plate. (This is the JFI appearance of the first publication of the paper (under the same title) in the July 20, 1877 issue of the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society; the paper also appears the same month in the 30 August 1877 issue of Nature. The plate here is an image of Draper’s famous astronomical-first photo of the spectrum of the Sun.)

In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Vol 74 (third series), vol 104 overall, January-June 1877, with text illustrations and folding plates, 432 pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Nice copy, though there is some damp staining the upper right corner through the first 125 pages or so. GOOD condition. $200

Alexander Graham Bell, “Bell’s Articulating Telephone”, pp 219-222 (this coming barely a year after Bell patented his invention);

“The Jablochoff Electric Candle”, with illustration, pp 142-144 (and again a note on p. 295);

“Electric Lighting”, pp 158-160;

Pliny Earl Chase, “The Music of the Spheres”, pp 161-168;

Pliny Earle Chase, “Planetary Mechanics”, pp. 281-288

1878 Early Papers on the Telephone, Phonograph, and Liquefaction of Oxygen

Ayres, Brown (Stevens Institute). “The Telephone”, June 1878, pp 378-393 in

Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1878; volume 75 (third series) and volume 105 overall, with text illustrations and several folding tables, 432pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page, and a library card pocket at the rear endpaper. Good/Very Good. $150

Also in the volume:

S.M. Plush, “Edison’s Carbon Telephone Transmitter, and the Speaking Phonograph”, April 1878, pp 266-271;

Gustave Trouve, “Apparatus for Producing Electric Light”, Jan 1878, pp 44-47

Report of the Committee on Dynamo-Electric Machines”, May 1878, pp 289-303; continued as Edwin J. Houston and Elihu Thomson, “Report of the Committee on Dynamo-Electric Machines (continued from vol 85 pg 303). June 1878, pp 361-378.

W.H. Greene, trans., “Liquefaction of Oxygen”, translating the famous report of Cailletet to the Academie des Sciences in December 1877. February 1878, pp 119-129

“M. Cailletet’s Apparatus for Liquefying Gases” “In 1877 Louis Paul Cailletet in France and Raoul Pictet in Switzerland liquefied oxygen in the form of a mist. The liquefaction of the first of the so-called permanent gases heralded the birth of low-temperature research and is often described in the literature as having started a ‘race’ for attaining progressively lower temperatures. In fact, between 1877 and 1908, when helium, the last of the permanent gases, was liquefied, there were many priority disputes—something quite characteristic of the emergence of a new research field.”—Faidra Papenelopoulou, “Louis Paul Cailletet: The liquefaction of oxygen and the emergence of low-temperature research”, Royal Society, 2013

1891

F.E. Ives, “Prof. Lippmann’s Heliochromy”, pp 141-148;

Elihu Thomson, “Induction of Electric Currents and Induction Coils”, pp 81-101;

William P. Mason, “Notes on some Cases of Drinking Water and Disease”, pp 356-465, which is a very interesting report on water pollution, principally along the Mohawk and Hudson rivers, and considering sewage and typhus.

Edwin J. Houston, “Artificial Rain-making”, pp 308-315;

Vauclain’s Compound Engine, pp 1-11;

Vauclain’s Driving- and Truck-Wheel Centres, pp 12-16;

“The Wooten Locomotive”, pp161-171;

Coleman Sellers, “Utilization of Niagara Falls”, pp 30-53;

C.J. H. Woodbury, “Conflagrations in Cities”, pp 129-141, 207—223;

in Journal of the Franklin Institute, published by the Institute, Philadelphia, vol 132, nos. 787-792, July-December 1891. Vi, 474pp. Bound in half-calf and marbled boards, raised bands. Joints are worn and chipped, with some heavy rubbing at spine top. Ex-library, with the usual stamps on title page, rear of plates. That said, still a GOOD, solid copy.

1892

W.S. Aldrich, “Notes on Electromagnetic Machinery [First Paper}, pp 130-145; [Second Paper}, pp 214-234 (concluded), in Journal of the Franklin Institute, published by the Institute, Philadelphia, vol 133, nos. 793-798, 1892. Vi, 504pp. Bound in half-calf and marbled boards, raised bands. Joints are worn and chipped, with some heavy rubbing at spine top. Ex-library, with the usual stamps on title page, rear of plates. That said, still a GOOD, solid copy.

Perot, “Experiments made to Ascertain the Specific Volumes of the Saturated Vapor if Water…the Mechanical Equivalent of Heat”, pp 55-68; 93-119;

Alfred Hunt, “Aluminum, Manufacture and Uses”, pp 241-271;

Lynwood Garrison, “The Development of American Armor-Plate”, pp 337-356, 417-453, numerous photos and diagrams;

Wm. L. Saunders, “A Practical Consideration of Compressed Air”, pp 370-393;

“The Compound Locomotive of the Rhode Island Locomotive Works”, 1-46, 45 plates;

W.N. Jennings, “Joves Autograph” (short article on lightning but with two folding plates at frontis with 12 great photos of lightning types).

1897 X-Rays, Radio, and Color Photography

(Marconi) “Telegraphy without Wires”, page 317, short three-paragraph notice on Marconi at work in England (“Mr. Marconi’s results are remarkable. He seems to have discovered a new sort of electric wave…being able in “sending an intelligible signal a mile and three-quarters”. This is a short notice appearing nearly two years before Marconi’s first published paper on the subject (in Journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, XXVIII, no. 139, April 1899).

In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, 1897 volume 143, January-June 1897, with text illustrations and several folding tables, 466pp. Half-calf, with raised bands. Ex-library, with some scuffing on the spine; also a few stamps on the title page. Very Good copy. $150

Notice in the “Proceedings” section of C. Francis Jenkin’s early television, the “phantoscope”—this being a single paragraph.

Elmer Will young and Lyman Saven, “X-Rays, Apparatus and Methods”, p 211-231 and “An Improved Automatic Interrupter for Induction Coils”, p 231-235;

(Villedieu Chassagne), “Photography in Natural Colors”, one long paragraph of a new color photo process in the “Notes and Comments” section.

1903

Edward A. Partridge and Robert Bradbury, Radio-Activity. In: Journal of the Franklin Institute, volume 156, 1903, 472pp; November issue, pp 321-334. The entire volume is offered, bound in buckram, with two shadows of removed call numbers on the spine, and an ownership stamp on the title page.

Also offered with:

Hammer, “Airy’s Theory of the Rainbow”, same volume, pp 335-349, with a lovely folding plate.

1910

Henri Petit, “Aviation and Aeroplane Motors”, in: Journal of the Franklin Institute, volume 170, 1910. Pp 291-392, with 9 text photos, tables, and drawings. The entire volume is offered, bound in buckram, with two shadows of removed call numbers on the spine, and an ownership stamp on the title page. Solid copy, near-VG. $75

Also bound with: Charles Edward Larard, “Aerial Propellers and Some Test results”, pp 303-316.

Both thorough and early reports.

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