Charles de Charnières - Théorie et pratique des longitudes en mer - 1772

Discover one of the pinnacles in the history of maritime navigation and the scientific quest of the Enlightenment with this official work devoted to determining longitudes at sea. IMPRIMERIE ROYALE, Charles François Philippe de Charnières Theory and practice of longitudes at sea, published by order of the king. In Paris, from the Royal Printing House, 1772. Volume in-8 bound in full contemporary calfskin, spine with raised bands, ornate gilded compartments, title label in red morocco, speckled edges, marbled endpapers. The illustration is sumptuous, featuring an elegant engraved banner with the naval arms on the title and supplemented by folding plates hors-texte engraved with high technical precision, depicting optical and navigational instruments. Solidly bound copy, showing some wear from use and epidermal scuffs on the covers but with a sound structure and a very beautiful antique patina. The interior is well preserved, complete with the six folding engraved plates and the original endpapers. The quest for the “secret of longitudes” was the greatest scientific challenge of the 17th and 18th centuries, mobilizing the brightest minds and the European navies to avert the tragic shipwrecks caused by position errors at sea. This work is the direct testimony of the technical and astronomical solutions tested aboard the king’s frigates."

Estimate:£16.89

View all items fromCatawikiorBooks, Maps & Manuscripts