GELLERT, C.E.

Anfangsgründe zur Metallurgischen Chimie, In einem theoretischen und practischen Theile nach einer der Natur gegründeten Ordnung abgefasset. Mit Kupfern. (+) Anfangsgründe zur Probierkunst, als der Zweyte Theil der practischen Metallurgischen Chimie worinnen verschiedene neue Arten zuverlässig zu probieren, gezeiget werden. 2 Bde.

Leipzig, Johann Wendler u. Wendlerischen Handlung, 1750-55. Bound in one contemp. hcalf. Spine gilt. A small nick to titlelabel with gilt lettering. A paperlabel pasted on lower part of spine. Stamps on title-page. Engraved frontispiece. (14),339,(23) pp. and 5 large folded engraved plates (one being the table of affinities) + (16),168,(6) pp. and 3 large folded engraved plates. Internally clean and fine, a few minor brownspots.

Extremely scarce first edition comprising both volumes and both in their first issues (volume 1 has a second issue 1751). It is a pioneer work in two ways as Gellert here was the first to introduce the method of extracting metals from their ores by almagation with mercury in the cold, and - by modifying the first affinity tables by Geoffroy with a table of 28 columns of symbols in which substances having the least affinity with the substance at the head of the column are put at the top, the reverse of Geoffroy's order.
Partington II,710. - Duveen p. 242 (only the French and English translations) - Neville I, p. 511-12 (only the first volume). - Bolton I, 473.

"Christlieb Ehregott Gellert (1713-1795), the brother of the poet, studied at Meissen and in 1743 Leipzig. He was a professor (1736-47) in a school in St. Petersburg, becoming (1746-47) associate of the Academy of Sciences there, where he met Euler. Returning to Germany (1747) he settled in Freiberg, where he studied mining and metallurgy, gave a course of metallurgical chemistry, and became inspector of mines and smelting in Saxony; in 1762 he became chief administraror of the foundries and forges of Freiberg. He became professor of metallurgical chemistry in the famous Freiberg Bergakademie on its foundation in 1765." (Partington).

Order-nr.: 53589