The Philosophical History and memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris: or, . . . . The Whole Translated and Abridged, by John Martyn, F.R.S., and Ephraim Chambers, F.R.S. [5 volumes].

London:: Printed for John and Paul Knapton. . . , 1742-53., 1742. 5 volumes. 8vo. Vol.1: [4], x, 11-456, [16]; Vol.2: [2], 407, [15], 10; Vol.3: [2], 422, [16]; Vol.4: [2], 410, [14], 11-26; Vol.5: [2], 426, [14] pp. The first 10 pages of the "Addenda" are bound at the end of vol.2, pp.11-26 are bound at the end of vol.4. 44 of 45 engraved plates (mostly folding) [I: 17; II: 6; III: 6; IV: 6; V: 9 [of 10] plates [pl. 10, supplied in facs., see p. 422] TOTAL: 44 + 2 folding tables [vol. I]], tables (some folding), addenda, indexes; 2nd wasp plate (vol. V) with small scrape effecting some of the image. Original speckled calf; rebacked and with later endleaves, vols. I, III & V with joints gently mended with kozo. PROVENANCE: Bookplates of Henry and Carol Faul, mounted on top of the following engraved bookplate for the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: "Sub libertate Florent" dated 1780, "The Gift of . . ." -- also with their gilt-stamp applied to the foot of the later spines "American Academy"; Rubber stamps (discarded) of the Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, MO. Very good. HENRY FAUL'S COPY -- WORKED FOR ENRICO FERMI & BIKINI ATOLL TEST. A collection of early scientific papers from leading figures all belonging to the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, the French equivalent to the Royal Society of London. The abridged papers all appeared between 1699 and 1720 and include diverse topics such as anatomy, apiculture, astronomy (incl. Moon), chemistry, electricity, entomology, gases, geography, geology, herpetology, invertebrates, magnetism, medicine, meteorology, mineralogy, monsters, music, mollusks, natural history, optics, physics, scientific instruments (including the barometer, microscope), zoology and more. / AMONG THE NUMEROUS CONTRIBUTORS OR NOTABLES MENTIONED: Agricola, Amontons, Baert, Juan de Barros, Bernoulli, Bignon, Borelli, Bouvet, Robert Boyle, Carre, Cassini, Chazelles, Chevalier, Coronelli, Dampier, Descartes, Dodart, Fermat, Fontenay, Fontenelle, Galileo, Gandolphe, Gassendi, Gesner, Gouye, Halley, Van Helmont, de la Hire, du Hamel, Huygens, Jeaugeon, Kepler, Kircher, Leibnitz, Lemery, Leuwenhoek, Malpighi, de Marca, Mariotte, Mollard, Gregory Nazianzen, Isaac Newton, de Nointel, Ortelius, Parent, Picard, Renau, Riccioli, Sanctorius, Strabo, Tournefort, Varignon, etc. PROVENANCE: [1] American Academy of Arts & Sciences bookplate: The Academy seal features Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, science and trade, and the arts. Her temple on the Aventine Hill was a meeting place for skilled craftsman, writers, and actors. She is also depicted as a warrior, a symbol appropriate for an organization created in the midst of the American Revolution. Around Minerva are representations of the new country—on her right, a field of Indian corn, a stand of oaks, and the outline of a town; at her feet, a hoe, a plow, and a sickle; on her left a quadrant and a telescope, a ship heading for shore, and the sun completely risen above the cloud. Over the whole is the motto SUB LIBERTATE FLORENT, which suggests that arts and sciences flourish best in. -- [2] Rubber stamps (discarded) of the Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, MO. -- [3] Henry and Carol Faul. Henry Faul was a geologist working on Enrico Fermi's team at the University of Chicago. He was responsible for prospecting uranium ore in Colorado and Utah. He also travelled to Manhattan Project sites at Los Alamos and in Washington, DC. Following the war, Faul continued to work on nuclear projects and participated in the Bikini Atoll test. He received his M.S. from the University of Chicago during the war, and went on to get his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ESTC T131275.