Lot 139
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, a Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature
Auction: 16 June 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
Edinburgh: A. Bell and C. MacFarquhar, 1797. Third edition, 18 volumes, 4to (26.5 x 20cm), contemporary reversed calf, red and black morocco gilt labels to spines, 532 of 542 engraved plates (some folded), volumes 2-18 with label of Montrose Library on front pastedown; boards and spines scuffed and worn, volume 10 upper board almost detached, volume 12 joints cracking, volumes 17-8 upper board detached; with the following missing pages and plates: volume 1 lacking frontispiece, dedication and preface leaves, pp. 497-504, plates 12-13; volume 2 lacking title page; volume 3 lacking title page, plate 111; volume 4 lacking title page; volume 7 lacking plate 194; volume 8 lacking plate 237; volume 9 lacking title page, plate 164; volume 12 lacking plates 317-9; volume 15 folded plate 418 detached, plates 433-4 bound in volume 16; volume 16 lacking title page, plate 437 [ESTC N6642] (18)
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.