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

Sinkankas, 932; Cole, 204; manque à Neville.

Édition originale.

Cet ouvrage, resté classique pour les physiciens et les minéralogistes, contient “many rather precise experimental data” (DSB II, 474). Lavoisier avait non seulement fourni des substances chimiques à l’auteur mais lui avait également communiqué les résultats de certaines de ses propres pesées. “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 Birsson 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).

Reliure habilement restaurée.