Beschreibung:

Dyeing. The Whole Art of Dying. In Two Parts. The First being an Experimental Discovery of all the most useful Secrets in Dying Silk, Wool, Linnen and the Manufactures thereof, as Practised in England, France, Spain, Holland and Germany… Written Originally in the German Language. The Second Part is a General Instruction for the Dying of Wools and Woollen Manufactures of all Colours; for the Culture of the Drugs used in the Tinctorial Art, as also for the Dying of Hats; Published by the especial Command of the present French King in that Language… Both which are Faithfully rendred into English from their Respective Originals, 1st edition, printed by William Pearson for J. Sprint, Dan. Midwinter, G. Conyers, and Tho. Ballard, 1705, [20], 356pp., occasional spotting, minor pinprick worming and worm-tracing to upper outer corners of signatures K & L, lower blank outer corner of final leaf torn with loss, deleted early ink ownership inscription of Elias Newcomen to title-page, contemporary polished calf, rebacked with original spine and spine label relaid, rubbed, some edge and corner wear, 8vo (18.5 x 11.5 cm) (Qty: 1) Provenance: The work appears to have been owned by Elias Newcomen (1706-1765), the second son of Thomas Newcomen (1664-1729), inventor of the eponymous Newcomen steam engine in 1712. Elias followed his father’s interest in directing the erection of steam machinery. ESTC T80696; M. Ron, Bibliotheca Tinctoria, p. 36. 1. A very nice copy of a work of great rarity, the first comprehensive work on the subject to be published in English. ESTC locates five copies in the UK and four copies in North America. The original German book that made up part I of The Whole Art of Dying was the 1703 edition of a book originally published in 1685, Ars Tinctoria Experimentalis, oder curieuse Wollkommene Endecken der Faerbe-kunst. The second part is a translation of the 1683 German work Ars Tinctoria Fundamentalis, oder Gründliche Anweisung zur Färbenkunst, which was itself a translation of Colbert's 1669 work, Instruction genérale pour la teinture des laines et manufacture de laine de toutes couleurs et pour la culture des drogues ou ingrediens qu'on y emploie. It was this work which established ‘a standard for the French (later also for other European nations) dye industry. It gave both practical instructions and legal regulations on sizes, quality, and practices, together with a law, promulgated in 1669’.