WINZLER, Zacharias (or Zachaus) Andreas.

Die Thermolampe in Deutschland; Oder, vollständige, sowohl theoretisch- als praktische Anleitung, den ursprünglich in Frankreich erfundenen, nun aber auch in Deutschland entdekten Universal- Leucht- Heiz- Koch- Sud- Destillir- und Sparoven zu errichten.

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Four folding engraved plates. 10 p.l., 227, [3] pp. 8vo, cont. blue boards, contrasting vellum lettering piece on spine. Brünn: F.K. Siedler, 1803. First edition of this early and comprehensive study of the thermolamp and oven. It is based on the revolutionary design by Philippe LeBon, who, in 1799, had patented a method of distilling gas from wood and thus invented one of the first gas lights, called a thermolamp. Because of a general shortage of wood, the thermolamp was designed to resolve the energy problems of the time, providing lighting, heating, and energy for the house and factory. “Zachaus Andreas Winzler (1750-ca. 1830), a Moravian chemical manufacturer living in Austria, who also derived his ideas from Lebon, gave a number of dinner-parties in December 1802, at which the food was cooked on a gas stove and the dining-room was heated by gas. In 1803 he published a detailed account of his methods [the present book]. His retorts were based on the conventional laboratory equipment of the day...there are spaces for heating cooking-utensils. The gas was bubbled through water (lime was not added) and could be passed to a cooker with four burners and a small oven behind, or to a holder in the form of a bellows with a small weight on top. From the holder the gas could be led to a room, where it was used both to warm a radiator and in Argand lamps.”–Singer et al., eds., A History of Technology, Vol. IV, p. 264. Winzler gives a very thorough description of the workings and construction of the thermolamp, fully illustrated on the plates. He clearly plans widespread applications, pointing out the usefulness of the design for hospitals, factories, and military barracks. He also indicates its uses in popular entertainment, through the installation of festive lights. Fine copy and very rare. According to OCLC, no copy in the U.S. ❧ W. Schivelbusch, Lichtblicke, Zur Geschichte der künstlichen Helligkeit im 19. jahrhundert, Munich 1983, p. 27ff.

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• nº de pedido: HillBibl-1287

• librero: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc. (USA)