Lot 147
Hawney, William, 'Philomath'
The Compleat Measurer
Auction: 16 June 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
or the Whole Art of Measuring. London: for D. Browne [and others], 1717. First edition, 12mo (16 x 9.5cm), contemporary blind-ruled calf, [20], 303 [1] pp., advertisement leaf, full-page engraved diagram to p. 264, woodcut diagrams throughout the text, binding rubbed, 18th-century ownership inscription and small tear to title-page [ESTC T110068]
Footnote
This hugely popular work went to at least a thirteenth edition by the end of the 18th century. Only one copy of the first edition traced in auction records in the last 50 years, in the library of the Earls of Macclesfield. In the advertisement leaf at the front of the volume, the author, described as a resident of Lydd in Kent, offers various services including tuition in the use of globes, land surveys, and the provision of sundials.