WORKSHOP RECEIPTS FOR THE USE OF MANUFACTURERS, MECHANICS, AND SCIENTIFIC AMATEURS.
London, Published by Spon, E. & F. N., 1878. First edition, 8vo,pp iv+450+16 publishers advertisements including diagrams and index. Brown cloth embossed hardcover with gilt embellishments. Minor foxing to title page and a few early pages. previous owners calculation in pencil on title page, binders stamp to rear inner board. Else good. Item #196093
Workshop receipts are to workmen as recipes are to chefs or cooks. They give you the material components of various useful items and the methods by which they are made. Prior to the rise of brand name consumer goods and stores capable of handling vast supply chains and inventories these books would have been the key to the production of a great many necessary items. The notation on the cover for instance says, Bronzes, Cements, Dye Making, Electro Metallurgy, Enamels, Etching, Fireworks, Fluxes, Fulminating, Gilding, Gums, Japanning, Marble Working, Nitroglycerine, Photography, Pottery, Varnishes. What amazes me is the complexity of the descriptions and the detail that they produce.
Price: $200.00