61 Plates (Planche) From the 1st edition of Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers

France, 8211. First edition. Disbound. This listing consists of several groupings of pages containing plates and descriptions of those plates which were removed from the first edition of Diderot's Encyclopedia. Pages measure 39 x 27 cm which are still bound together in signatures. Plates are either full page or two page plates. Description of each signature follows:

Potier D'etain (Tin) consisting of a description of 9 plates of which 8 our present. Plate I is missing of this group. Bound with this: Potier D'etain Bimblotier consisting of a description of 6 plates, all of which are present.

Next grouping: Following this are 4 plates with no description page with titles like "Travail du Bas au Metier". Planche # III, IV, V, VI.
Next Grouping: "Forge des Ancres" (anchor forging). Consisting of a description of 13 plates, all of which are present.

Next Grouping: "Potier de Terre". Consisting of a description of 19 plates, all are present. Planche XVII is a fold-out plate titled "Potier de Terre, Fours".

Final Grouping: "Draperie". Consisting of a description of 11 plates all are present.

In general, the plates are in nice condition with no tearing. These are the plates with descriptions, no binding, and they are not a complete set. The original Encyclopédie was published in 17 volumes with 11 volumes of plates published by 1772. Later printings did not include plates to cut down the costs and allow a wider audience to read the work. This was the first encyclopedia to describe the mechanical arts and also the first to include contributions from many important named contributors. These include such famous enlightenment figures as Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.