BRUNETTI, Francesco Saverio.
Trattenimenti scientifici su la sfera, geografia istorica, meteore, ed astronomia.
Rome, Bernabò and Lazzarini, 1754. With several woodcut illustrations in the text (including an armillary sphere), and an extra added folding engraved frontispiece.
With:
(2) BRUNETTI, Francesco Saverio. Trattenimenti scientifici su lindrografia, nautica, blasone, statica, meccanica, architectura, pirotecnia, e suono.
Roma, Bernabò and Lazzarini, 1755. With several woodcut illustrations in the text, and an extra added frontispiece (facsimile of an engraving?).
(3) BRUNETTI, Francesco Saverio. Macchina semplicissima per cui lacqua da se stessa salice ad una data altezza.
Rome, Bernabò and Lazzarini, 1747. With folding engraved plate as frontispiece. 3 works (the first in 2 parts) in 1 volume. 4to. Contemporary sheepskin parchment. [24], 180, 112; [8], 173, [3 blank]; 12 pp.
€ 4,500
Three little-known scientific works by Francesco Saverio Brunetti, an Italian polymath and chaplain. The first work, divided into two parts, opens with a dialogue devoted to armillary spheres, followed by extensive chapters on the geography of the world, covering respectively Europe, Asia, Africa and America, concluded by a short dialogue on hydrography. The part on Asia includes chapters on the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire, Persia, Syria and Arabia. The second work, dedicated to the Irish-born Princess Cecilia Mahony (1741-1789), is divided into four dialogues, discussing navigation, (hydro)statics, architecture and fireworks. The third works describes a pulley for lifting water, apparently invented by the author.
With bookplate of Royal Meteorological Society and deaccession ticket on paste-down. One leaf torn off, without loss of text, otherwise in very good condition. Ad 1: Houzeau & Lancaster 9680; Riccardi I A- col 195; WorldCat (4 copies); not in Zinner; ad 2: Riccardi I A-col. 194; ad 3: WorldCat (6 copies); ad 1-3 not in Honeyman; Horblit; Wheeler Gift; for the author: Poggendorff I, col. 319.
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