Art, Gold & Silver, Primitives & Rare Books
Lot 114:
Description
Antique three-volume set of A System of Chemistry by Thomas Thomson, M.D., Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow and an important early figure in the development of modern chemical science. This example represents the Sixth Edition published in London in 1820 by Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, with additional distribution through W. Blackwood and Bell & Bradfute of Edinburgh and Hodges and Macarthur of Dublin, reflecting the work’s wide circulation among European scientific communities of the early 19th century. Thomson was one of the earliest advocates of Dalton’s atomic theory and played a significant role in advancing chemical classification and quantitative analysis during the formative years of modern chemistry. The present offering includes three volumes from the four-volume set, each bound in original period paper-covered boards with printed spine labels reading “Thomson’s System of Chemistry, ” showing expected wear, chipping, and loss to the paper coverings consistent with age and use while the interiors retain legible text with typical age toning and scattered foxing. A significant early scientific reference work from the early nineteenth century and an appealing set for collectors of antique scientific literature, chemistry history, and early academic publications.
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