AMERICAN EDITION OF THE BRITISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

1816. NICHOLSON, William. AMERICAN EDITION OF THE BRITISH ENCYCLOPEDIA, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Comprisingan accurate and popular view of the present improved state of human knowledge. Illustrated with upwards of 160 elegant engravings. Vol. I.[-VII.] Philadelphia: Published by Samuel A. Mitchell & Horace Ames. W. Brown, Printer, Church Alley. 1816. First American edition. Seven 8vo. volumes. The seventh volume contains 158 of the "upwards of 160 elegant engravings" mentioned on the title-page; the paper has mellowed with age and most plates show some foxing, ranging from light to heavy. Bound in contemporary mottled calf with a red morocco lettering piece and decorative gilt-rules at spine. The bindings are rather worn overall, being faded at spines, moderately edgeworn and scuffed at surfaces, with some intermittent soiling. One volume is missing the spine label; and several joints are starting. The text leaves are lightly toned at outer edges and show occasional light to moderate foxing. Volumes 3 and 6 have faint marginal dampstaining at the fore-corners. A good copy of this once popular work. (Shoemaker 38471). William Nicholson (1753-1815) was a minor scientific figure of the British industrial revolution, but many of his variegated activities were of considerable significance in the rapidly developing and changing scientific world of his day. He was an inventor, a translator and scientific projector. His biggest success came when he founded the monthly journal of scientific news in 1797, the Journal of Natural Philosophy. However, his successes did not translate into financial gain; Nicholson spent time in debtor's prison, deliberately sold his name to the proprietors of the British Encyclopaedia in 1809, and died in poverty after a lingering illness. (DSB). Rare, no copy has appeared at auction in over 25 years.