Lot 115
Savary des Brûlons, Jacques
The Universal Dictionary of Trade and Commerce
Auction: 16 June 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
Translated from the French … with Large Additions and Improvements, incorporated throughout the Whole Work; which more particularly accommodate the Same to the Trade and Navigation of these Kingdoms, and the Laws, Customs, and Usages, to which all Traders are Subject. By Malachy Postlethwayt. London: printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1751-5. First edition in English, 2 volumes, folio (41 x 25cm), contemporary sprinkled calf, rebacked, raised bands to spines, titles in red and black with engraved vignettes, engraved frontispiece (offset onto title), 24 engraved folding maps by Bolton and others, including North America (11 maps at end of volume 1 and 13 in volume 2), 25 folding letterpress tables (13 at end of volume 1 and 12 in volume 2), some browning and offsetting, damp-staining to the margins of volume 2 [ESTC N35479; Sabin 77276; Goldsmiths', 8594]
Provenance
From the collection of the late Professor Roland Paxton MBE FICE FRSE (1932-2025), 'Britain's foremost historian of civil engineering' (Telegraph, obituary, 12th November 2025). Professor Paxton was also a leading conservationist of Britain's engineering heritage, and led successful campaigns to restore two of the world's most important railway structures, the Laigh Milton Viaduct in Ayrshire, the world's oldest surviving railway bridge, and the Union Chain Bridge, the world's oldest suspension bridge still carrying road traffic.