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Summary
Author: Ware, Samuel ; Gwilt, Joseph
Title: A treatise of the properties of arches, and their abutment piers ... also concerning bridges, and the flying buttresses of cathedrals (etc) ; A treatise on the equilibrium of arches, in which the theory is demonstrated upon familiar mathematical principles.
Publication: London, J.Taylor (etc) 1809 ; London, printed for the author 1811.
Price: £645
Reference: 07145
Full Description
8vo. 2 works in 1. (7)( ex ix, no half title leaf) + (3) + 62pp, 19 folding engraved plates ; xiv + (2) + 80pp, 3 folding engraved plates. Contemporary vellum. Ownership inscription of J .Clarke on first title leaf. Outer blank margins of plates of Ware book browned and slightly cropped, with partial loss of a few plate numbers, a little light spotting elsewhere in both books.
First editions of two very competent books on the construction and load-bearing properties of arches, both written by young architects who were later to establish successful practices in London. Of the two, the first, written by Samuel Ware (1781-1860), is interesting for choosing as examples the arches and flying buttresses of various major mediaeval churches, including King's College Chapel, Cambridge, and Trinity Church, Ely, both visited by Ware when "on professional business in the nerighbourhood". The other is the first of a number of publications by Joseph Gwilt (1784-1863), and reflects his keen interest at that time in the mathematics of building construction ; two further editions were to follow, in 1826 and 1838, but this first edition is scarce, NUC recording only two copies (West Point and Univ. Illinois, Urbana). BAL Cat 3588, 1412.