Der Vollstäandige Kenner der Eisenwaaren und ihrer Zeichen, oder gründilche und Kenntniss aller nur immer vorkommenden Eisenwaaren Artikel

Gratz: Kienreich, 1825. 4to. (10 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches). 97 pp., (1). Engraved vignette title-page, five folding table, 39 engraved folding plates at rear, untrimmed. Original stiff paper wrappers, original printed spine label, in a modern cloth box with red morocco lettering piece.

First edition.of this remarkable and very rare book of engraved plates of hand-forged and hand-made iron wares.

Very rare German trade catalogue in original wrappers of ironware made in the foundry of Joseph Wathner. The present volume offers valuable insights into the production, classification, and commercialization of ironware in early 19th-century Europe. (truncated) Published by Wathner's foundry, the volume begins with a systematic introduction to the principles of ironmongery, classifying metal and iron products by their functions and intended uses. The catalogue itself depicts hundreds of ironware items, ranging from utilitarian objects such as horseshoes, chains, and hammers to more specialized tools for woodworking, agriculture, and domestic use. Each item is intricately illustrated within a circular frame and numbered for cross-referencing with the accompanying text, which provides the size, weight, price, and common packing convention. The work was clearly meant not just as a trade catalogue but also to regulate the trade and manufacture of hand-forged iron wares. From the library of bibliographer, Raymond L.J. Riling (1896-1974), book-plate on verso of front wrapper.

Not mentioned in Theodor. Crom, Trade catalogues 1542--1842, Kress or, Goldsmiths. OCLC list copies at the Winterthur Museum, the University of Michigan, and NEHA. (Inventory #: 40289)