Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. "Imprimerie" plates from the original edition.

Item Details

Paris, André le Breton, Michel-Antoine David, Laurent Durand and Antoine-Claude Briasson, 1751-1772, unbound plates.

First edition, excellent condition. See description and images for condition.

From Pied Oxen Printers' collection of objects related to print and book history.

Diderot, Denis (1713-1784). Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts and Crafts), published in France between 1751 and 1772, edited principally by Diderot. The engraved plates appeared under the title Recoil de blanches, sur les sciences, les arts liberal, et les arts mechaniques, aves leur explication.

19 folio leaves printed recto only, 10 x 15 1/4 inches.

Condition: Excellent. Only faint toning. No tears or stains.

The first general encyclopedia to describe the mechanical arts, covering a wide range of topics.  The techniques, tools and materials related to making books in 18th century France are covered in different sections, including paper-making, book-binding. and typecasting. The plates illustrating printing arguably remain the best visual reference for hand-press printing in the 18th century.

The Encyclopédie is recognized as the single most influential publication of the 18th century, representing the democratization of knowledge and the spirit of the Enlightenment. The original edition comprised 28 volumes published between 1751 and 1765. The  eleven volumes of plates were finished by 1772.