A System of Chemistry.
Edinburgh: Bell & Bradfute, 1810. 5 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A remarkable and most attractive full Regency calf binding with twin inked raised bands and inked, blind and gilt tooling to the panels and boards, so typical of this period. With the bookplate of the famous collector Robert J. Hayhurst and neat stamp of R. Parker on the reverse of the free endpaper. 4 engraved plates. "Thomson's System was the first extensive treatise on Chemistry written in Great Britain....the objectives of the work were to promote the advancement of chemistry by collecting the numerous facts from their scattered sources, to incorporate the history of the development of Chemistry and to give exact references to the original works in which the discoveries were reported. To make this edition up to date important additions and alterations were introduced into almost every chapter, also some new sections were added increasing the text to five volumes." (Cole). A splendid set of the expanded and improved 4th edition of this landmark scientific work.