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an old drawing of a machine that is sitting on top of a tablean old book with writing on it sitting on a tablean old book sitting on top of a white surface next to a white background
ALDE

185 - MONGE (Gaspard). Description of the Art of Cannon-Making.
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Estimate €600 - €800
Sale commission
Description
MONGE (Gaspard). Description of the Art of Cannon-Making. Paris, Printed by the Committee of Public Safety, Year II [1794]. Quarto, marbled sheepskin, plain spine with decoration, speckled edges (contemporary binding). First edition. It contains 4 folded tables relating to the dimensions of cannons and 60 fold-out plates engraved on copper. This work, destined to become the standard reference for artillerymen and armaments engineers, is the result of metallurgical research into the composition of steels and cast irons undertaken by the mathematician Gaspard Monge (1746–1818) had undertaken with Berthollet and Vandermonde in 1786–1788. It sets out the latest discoveries, including sand casting and a method for the accelerated boring of gun barrels. In 1794, Monge oversaw the manufacture of weapons and gunpowder in the Weapons Section of the Committee of Public Safety. That same year, he was instrumental in the founding of the École Polytechnique. From the library of the Château de Cormes, bearing the seal and handwritten bookplate of Jules [Marquis de] Tristan (1776–1861). Two cracked pages, upper edge frayed, angular foxing on the final plates. Poggendorff, II, 184.
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About the sale Fine antique books – A library in the Languedoc
Auction location
Auction time 10/20/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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