The Imperial Cyclopaedia of Machinery, being a Series of Plans, Sections, and Elevations of Stationary, Marine and Locomotive Engines, Spinning Machinery.... including the most useful and important machines from the Great Exhibition by Johnson, William - 1856

Glasgow: William Mackenzie. Very Good. 1856. New Edition. Half Leather. Folio No Date 1856?. A very large publication with 95 superb copper-engraved plates, many of them doubles. Contemporary half morocco, blue cloth boards with a portrait pasted to front board, a little wear and rubbing, o/w very good, firm and strong. The majority of the plates are in very good condition. The title page is missing but ghosting from the title page appears to the reverse of plate 90. Collation as follows. Engraved frontispiece portrait of James Watt, dedication leaf (both somewhat worn and marked). Description of the Engines, Boilers, Hull and Internal Arrangements of the Steam Ships "Arabia" And "La Plata" pp xi. Section on the Steam Engine Part I Stationary, Locomotive and Marine pp liv. Section on the Steam Engine Part II - Locomotives pp lv-lxx. Section on The Steam Engine Part III - Marine Engines pp - lxvii - lxxiv (pagination confused!). Section on Isometric Drawing pp 12. Section on the "History of Railways in the United Kingdom, pp 16. Section on Screw propelling pp 34 . Description of the plates pp 67. Index. The plates - most plates are double and a few are double folding. The plates are numbered to 93 though the numbering is not perfect, a few numbers appear twice and a few are missing, including the three plates in the introductory sections there is a total of 95 plates + frontispiece. A few plates have short tears, a couple of the folding plates have tears along the fold lines. There is a little dust soiling to a few plates, plate 69 has a larger tear and a little water-staining. A very good copy of this rare and fine work. .