BABINGTON John
£800
Auction: 1 February 2005 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Pyrotechnia or, a discourse of artificial fireworks ... whereunto is annexed a short treatise of geometrie ... with tables for the square root to 25000, and the cubick root to 10000 latus ... 1st edition, 3 parts in 1 vol., engraved titlepage, with 19 of 20 engraved illustrations, lacking one of 2 fldg. plates (plate 19), the second part with woodcut diagrs. in the text, later calf panelled in a style contemporary with the book, upper margin of the engraved title trimmed, printed title a little dusty and with lower edges a little frayed, slight paper discolouration throughout, folio, London: Harper, 1635
Note: STC 1099
It is the first treatise in English to deal exclusively with the subject of display fireworks, and is considered to be the most important book in Fireworks bibliography.
John Babington, an "inferior Gunner" in the service of the Earl of Newport, Master of his Majesties Ordnance for Charles I, provided directions for making rockets, stars, wheels, and ground-wheels that were more explicit than any offered by previous writers. He was, however, at his best when describing the complex devices and intricate displays in which his age delighted. The logarithmic tables which complete the publication are the earliest published in England.