HAÜY, René Just. A Systematic Exposition of the Theory of El - Lot 196

HAÜY, René Just. A Systematic Exposition of the Theory of Electricity and Magnetism. Based on the principles of Mr. Aepinus, of the Academies of St. Petersburg, Turin, etc. First edition of one of the earliest studies on the connection between static electricity and minerals. Paris, published by the Widow Desaint, 1787. In-8, full brown calfskin, spine with raised bands accented by blind-stamped roulette and gilt fillets, red leather title label, double blind-stamped fillets framing the covers, red-speckled edges. XXVII - 2 unnumbered folios and 238 pp., 4 folding engraved plates at the end. Some scuffing and minor scratches on the binding, a faint water stain at the bottom of the last section of the volume, very slight foxing. First edition of this study by Abbé Haüy (1743–1822), the founder of modern crystallography and mineralogy. He was the first to establish a link between the static electricity of minerals and the structure of crystals. A fine copy, complete with all 4 plates.