TELFORD, Thomas.

Life of Thomas Telford, Civil Engineer, written by Himself; containing a Descriptive Narrative of his Professional Labours.

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..Edited by John Rickman...with a Preface, Supplement, Annotations, and Index. Large atlas vol.: engraved frontis. port. of Telford & 82 engraved plates (some folding, some double-page). 2 printed leaves of title & list of plates. Text: one engraved plate & illus. in the text. xxiv, 719 pp. Thick 4to. Two vols., orig. cloth, each volume with attractive new calf spines & corners. London: Payne & Foss, 1838. First edition and a very nice example of this magnificent book. "Telford was one of the greatest of the early civil engineers and famous for his canals and roads and for his aqueducts and bridges. Many of his works were on a hitherto unprecedented scale and he also played a major role in the developing use of cast iron for bridge construction. The present autobiography is the best source of information on his achievements. It contains copies of the reports, surveys, letters, specifications, agreements and experiments for all his major schemes. These include the Caledonian and Götha (Sweden) ship canals, the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction canal and the Ellesmere Canal with its extraordinary cast-iron aqueduct at Pont-y-cysyllte as well as such splendid bridges as the suspension bridge with its then unprecedented span which took the Holyhead Road over the Menai Strait, the beautiful Conway suspension bridge or the fine cast-iron bridge at Galton which crossed over his own massive cutting for the Birmingham Canal. All these are magnificently illustrated in the accompanying folio atlas, both in section and elevation, and in many cases details of construction together with the machinery and tools employed are also shown. The book was in preparation at Telford's death and was completed by his friend, John Rickman, who had been Secretary to the Commission on the Caledonian Canal."­Elton, Cat. 15, 93. A handsome set. Bookplate in text volume of George Giles and with a letter tipped-in presenting this work to him. Stamp in gilt on upper cover of the atlas volume of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Ex Bibliotheca Mechanica. Skempton 1556.

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