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4 volumes. Various paginations. 67 large engraved folding plates. (4to) period full calf, gilt floral borders, spines gilt, black morocco labels, edges speckled red. First Edition.

An exhaustive work on iron and steel technology by this noted chemist and mineralogist, the most comprehensive of its time and the first to apply the new chemistry to the analysis of iron manufacturing processes.  The Sidérotechnie discusses all aspects of the mining of iron ores, the manufacture of the various sorts of iron and steel, and of the manufacture of goods made from these materials. It includes a brief historical introduction on iron working, which makes reference to the forging of steel,  a discussion of the sources from which iron is obtained, with an essay on iron mines.  There are also  long sections on the construction and management of furnaces, the forging of iron, smelting, and refining, and the correction of problems which render iron frangible. The concluding sections  deal with the processes involved in the manufacture of such products as needles, watch springs, swords, and the scythe. Roberts & Trent, pp. 155-56. DSB, VI, 164-65.  Partington III, 107. Poggendorff, I, 1029.