BRISSON Mathurin-Jacques Pesanteur spécifique des corps. Ouvrage utile à l’histoire naturelle, à la physique, aux arts & au commerce.

Sinkankas, 932; Cole, 204; not in Neville. 

First edition.

A classic work for physicists and mineralogists, it contains “many rather precise experimental data” (DSB II, 474). Lavoisier not only supplied the author with chemical substances, but also with the results of some of his own weighings. “Numerous inaccuracies in earlier specific gravity compilations, including the extensive tables of Pieter Van Musschenbroek led Brisson to reinvestigate a large number of metal, mineral, fluid, animal, and vegetable substances to determine new values of specific gravity using distilled or rainwater at standard temperature. Included are a large number of gemstones. The problem of identifying a mineral when it bore only a name was pointed out, and Brisson therefore described substances in enough detail to enable others to recognize them when encountered in other specimens… Not only was Brisson the first to provide useful density determinations, he should be regarded as a pioneer in scientific gemology because he recognized consistent differences in values between various gemstone species and urged that these be used as a means of identification in conjunction with other and obvious external features, especially crystal shapes, hardness, and single or double refraction” (Sinkankas).

Binding skilfully restored.