Cours de physique experimentale

Rare French first edition in the translation by Esprit Pézenas, illustrated with 2 title vignettes and 78 folding plates representing instruments used for physics demonstrations.

Armorial copy with unidentified coat of arms.
Contemporary full porphyry sheep binding. Decorated spine with raised bands. Beige calf title label, brown sheep volume label. One lack to foot of volume I. Light lack to head compartment of volume II and to foot compartment. Split to upper joints at foot of both volumes, 1cm. Corners with leather losses, as well as to edges. The use of acid to achieve the porphyry marbling has caused certain alterations to the leather, notably on the spine, where the gold appears in relief and some epidermures to the boards. Nevertheless a good copy.
Principal exposition of Newtonian physics of which Desaguliers propagated the ideas in his work, ideas both scientific and philosophical and political. He was the first to perceive the magnitude of the Newtonian revolution both for physics and for the representation of the world. He assisted Isaac Newton, who became his friend, in his experimental work from 1713 to 1727 as demonstrator of the Royal Society, the year of Newton's death. A skilled experimenter, he then opened his own private course which the royal family attended. The prefaces of the two volumes expose the challenges of 18th century physics: the development of experimental physics alongside analytical mechanics in the first, the preliminary debates to the birth of the concept of energy in the second. Desaguliers explains that he conducts experiments, not to show curiosities but to demonstrate laws, in the manner of mathematicians, but without using mathematical formalism which repels many people. His method, copied from that of Keill, consists of building his lessons by reasoning in stages: starting from simple propositions, proving them by experiments and not by demonstrations, then elaborating more complex propositions which are then confirmed by experimentation. It is appropriate not to present experiments as "so many curious phenomena" but to "make use of them to prove a sequence of philosophical propositions in a mathematical order" in other words, not to make a "Course of Experiments" but a "Course of Experimental Physics". Desaguliers' lessons deal with mechanics and hydrostatics. The lessons concerning hydrostatics are illustrated by very precise descriptions of varied devices and diverse uses: diving bells, the Marly machine or Mr Richard Newsham's machines for extinguishing fires (which are found in the plates). An auditor of Desaguliers' courses, Abbé Nollet drew inspiration from them to write his lessons in experimental physics, but which, however, dealt more with electricity and optics.