PERRY, John.

An Account of the Stopping of Daggenham Breach: With the Accidents that have attended the Same from the First Undertaking...To Which is Prefix'd, a Plan of the Levels which were over-flow'd by the Breach.

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One large folding map. 131 pp. 8vo, cont. mottled calf (expertly rebacked), double gilt fillet round sides, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: B. Tooke for J. Peele, 1721. First edition of the chief account of the heroic struggles, led by Perry, to close the breach in the artificial banks which kept the tidal water of the Thames out of the low-lying Dagenham and Havering levels. “The closing of Dagenham Breach on the north bank of the River Thames downstream of London was one of the most difficult and most celebrated feats of early civil engineering. The [artificial] river wall was breached in 1707 and although attempts had been made to close it, no one succeeded until Perry. By the time he turned his attention to the task, the gap was about 100ft wide and the channel more than 30ft deep, and was severely affecting the navigation of the river. This is his own account of the method he used, which was entirely successful, and the book itself is amongst the earliest English contributions to the literature of civil engineering.”–Elton, Cat. 16, 122. After meeting Czar Peter in 1698, Perry (1670-1732), went to Russia where he oversaw numerous naval and engineering works during a 14-year period. Fine fresh copy. Armorial bookplate. ❧ D.N.B., XV, pp. 921-22.

• USD 2,500.00 > autres monnaies
• Commande nro.: HillBibl-1909

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