Fisica de' Corpi Ponderabili ossia Trattato della Costituzione Generale de' Corpi del Cavaliere

Torino: Dall Stamperia Reale, 1841. Boards. Very Good. Four volumes, each uniformly bound in 1/4 leather over marbled boards. Flat spines with labels in green and brown (now faded). Gilt titles and ruling. Volume 1 with minor worming to the base of the rear panel resulting in some separation of the leather at the joint. Volume 2 with some bumping to the board edges and a touch of worming at the base of the front panel. Volume 3 with some worming damage to the front hinge at the head. All are fundmentally sound. Bookplate of Prof. Giovanni Ferraris on front pastedown of each volume.

Vol. 1: [4], [I-IV], [V]-XXXI, [1], 1-910 pages plus nine (truncated) folding plates. (published 1837)
Vol. 2: [4], V-XV, [1], 1-980 pages plus 5 folding plates. One plate with marginal tear. (published 1838)
Vol. 3: [4], V-XIII, [1], 1-932 pages plus two folding plates. (published 1840)
Vol. 4: [4], V-XIII, [1], 1-926, [2-blank], LIII, [1] pages plus two folding plates plus [1-con permissione],[1-blank] pages. (published 1841)

Complete. Boards. "A MONUMENTAL TREATISE and the only major publication of Avogadro (1776-1856). It contains most of his important researches on the properties of matter, crystallography, heat, sound, etc. One of the founders of physical chemistry in the early nineteenth century, Avogadro is remembered for the law (then called a hypothesis) that states: "Equal volumes of all gases under the same conditions of temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules." This law provided a much-needed key to the solution of the composition and properties of gases. Avogadro showed that by applying his theory, chemists could discover the numbers of atoms in molecules, and then the atomic weights could be calculated from the ratio of combining masses. The present work contains a very substantial enlargement of Avogadro's famous memoir, first published in 1811 in the 'Journal de Physique' in which he promulgated his hypothesis.

Originally educated as a lawyer, in 1800 he became interested in mathematics and physics. Avogadro was impressed by the recent discoveries of Alessandro Volta, and Avogadro's first scientific research (with his brother Felice) was on electricity in 1803.

One of the great milestones of chemical literature, complete sets are very rare." (Neville, Vol 1, p52)

"Avogadro's treatise contains an account of his famous hypothesis that the number of molecules in a gas is always proportional to the volume. Avogadro's hypothesis allowed molecular weights to be determined directly, as the relative weights of the molecules of any two gases are the same as the ratios of the densities of thse two gases under equal conditions. Avogadro introduced this hypothesis in his 'Essai d'une maniere de determiner les masses relatives des molecules elementairs des corps, et les proportions selon lesquelles elles entrent dans ces combinations.' published in Vol. 73 of the Journal de Physique (1811)" (Norman, #89)

Provenance:
Sotheby's Nov 09, 2011 Books and Manuscripts (sold for $10,000 Euros)

Literature:
Neville, Roy, "The Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library, An Annotated Catalogue of Printed Books on Alchemy, Chemistry Chemical Technology, and Related Subjects", Chemical Heritage Foundation: Philadelphia,2006
Hook, Diana H. & Norman,Jeremy, "The Haskell F. Norman Library of Science and Medicine", Jeremy Norman & Co, Inc.: San Francisco, 1991.

Neville reference notes (we can provide specifics if you wish):
Not in Smith, Wellcome, etc Bolton, 276; D. S.B., I, 350; Duveen Supplement 21; Edelstein, 111,; Partington, IV, 216; Roller & Goodman, I , 63). (Neville). (Inventory #: 29014)