- 42
Hales, Stephen
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- 'Vegetable Staticks: Or, An Account of some Statical Experiments on the sap in vegetables: Being an Essay towards a Natural History of Vegetation. Also, a specimen of An Attempt to Analyse the Air, By a great Variety of Chymio-Statical Experiments; Which were read at several Meetings before the Royal Society'. London, W. & J. Innys and T. Woodward, 1727
- Paper, ink, leather
8vo (7 5/8 x 4 7/8 in.; 195 x 125 mm). 19 engraved plates by Simon Gribelin; Gilmanton Theological Library label to dedication leaf, minor soiling and foxing. Contemporary brown calf; overall worn, upper cover perished. Half brown morocco over cloth covered board clamshell case.
Provenance
Joseph Seccombe (signature to title-page). Seccombe is best remembered as the author of the first American work on fishing.
Literature
Dibner, 26; Horblit 45a; Norman 970; PMM 189a; Waller 11526; Wellcome III:194
Condition
8vo (7 5/8 x 4 7/8 in.; 195 x 125 mm). 19 engraved plates by Simon Gribelin; Gilmanton Theological Library label to dedication leaf, minor soiling and foxing. Contemporary brown calf; overall worn, upper cover perished. Half brown morocco over cloth covered board clamshell case.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.
Catalogue Note
First edition. Joseph Seccombe's copy. The "first complete account of the physiology of plants, including the reaction with air and movement of the sap" (Horblit). Hales measured the amount of water lost by plants through evaporation and related this to the amount of water present in a given area of soil in which plants were growing. He was the first to realize that plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and that it forms a vital part of their food supply.