by DICKSON, Adam
One engraved plate. xxiii, 527 pp.; vi, 494 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. calf (a few unimportant binding defects), spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Edinburgh: J. Dickson & W. Creech, 1788. First edition of the author's most important book; it was published posthumously by one of the author's daughters who has provided here a biography of her father. Dickson (1721-76), wrote a number of practical works on agriculture which described techniques adapted to the soil and climate of Scotland. In the present work, Dickson "collects the agricultural processes of the ancients under their proper heads, and compares them with modern practice, in which his experience renders him a safe guide. The first volume contains accounts of the roman villa, crops, manures, and ploughs; the second treats of the different ancient crops and the times of sowing."-D.N.B., V, pp. 943-44. Attractive set. ❧ Fussell, II, p. 57-Dickson "was able to dispose of some obscurities in Rei Rusticae Scriptores that had puzzled earlier non-agricultural scholars.". (Inventory #: 2722)