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J. PONTHAULT : 1739 HUGE TOME OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE: AN 800+ PAGE COMPREHENSIVE HANDWRITTEN NOTEBOOK COMPILING AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION RELATED TO THE LATEST THEORIES OF THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION - PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, ANATOMY, ASTRONOMY AND SO MUCH MORE

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is a fascinating document of the Europe’s Scientific Revolution, a long and detailed notebook on Physics, written entirely in Latin and dated 1739. Simply titled, “Physica,” the book is many hundreds of pages in length. It contains, undoubtedly, an extraordinary and immense amount of knowledge pertaining to the study of Physics (and much, much more) in the first half of the 18th century. This includes lengthy sections on: mathematics; geometry; atmospheric and meteorological elements; navigation and sailing science; the discoveries of Newton including his Three Laws of Motion and Law of Universal Gravitation; Energy, motion, speed and acceleration; early theories of thermodynamics; the physics of light, reflection and refraction; fluid dynamics; human anatomy; cosmography (the science that deals with the general features of the universe, including the earth) including various signs and attributes of the Zodiac and constellations, and features of earth, sea, and air; the theories, discoveries, and systems of Copernicus and Descartes and Galileo; animal taxonomy; and many numerous other sections. Contained within these pages are an incredible amount of information that comprise an almost comprehensive portrait of science in at the time. This is truly a remarkable work surmising an incredible amount of scientific knowledge in the 18th century. The book is approximately 800 pages long, with every single page written in fully front and back. At the end of the book, there are 12 intaglio prints of various geometric and astronomical charts and diagrams, some have titles such as “Systema Copernicanum,” and “Systema Tychonicum,” but most have just numbers denoting various figures and illustrations. The book’s binding is vellum and the covers and spine are in fair shape, showing a some discoloration and a good deal of tearing. Despite being 800 pages long and almost 300 years old, the structure of the book is still very good, and all pages are well connected to the spine. The pages within show some signs of age-toning, but really only in the beginning and end. Almost all the pages are free of rips and tears. The handwriting is in Latin and written in black ink throughout. The writing can occasionally be cramped and hard to make out, but once the writer’s particular style is realized, the words become much easier to read. The name found in the book is “J. Ponthault” and I was unable to find anything about the writer. For those interested in the Scientific Revolution of the 17th and 18th century or just general history of science, this notebook is a remarkable document. OVERALL: VG. Manuscript. Book Condition: Very Good

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