CAMBRAY, Louis-Guillaume de (1723-1798) - Description d'une machine à feu construite pour les salines de Castiglione. Parma: Philippe Carmignani, 1766.   First edition of the treatise in which the author describes the steam engine he created, the first built in Italy, for pumping water in the salt flats of Castiglione in Maremma which he built in 1761. "The pump represented an improvement of that of Papin having the advantage, compared to the other, of not requiring manual operation of the valves, the action of steam to empty the water of the motor-pump cylinders, and of providing a much greater flow rate (11,250 cubic feet per hour ) with a more constant speed" (Treccani).   4to (238 x 175mm). Woodcut device on title, 10 engraved folding plates by Veremondo Rossi and Vincenzo Tarchi, 6 folding tables, initials and woodcut headpieces (lacking portrait, wiithout [chi]1-2 at the end which are called for in the first two variants, but not in variant C, light foxing, occasional browning, minimal reinforcements on the verso of some plates, rare tiny wormholes). Antique red leather, red speckled edges (rebacked preserving part of the original spine).

Estimate € 500 - 800

Sold € 480