A Catalogue of Pneumatic Instruments Manufactured and Sold By N. B. & D. Chamberlain ; with Experiments Illustrated By Numerous Engravings and Notes WITH Hydrostatic and Hydraulic Apparatus WITH A Price Catalogue of Pneumatic Apparatus, Manufactured and Sold by N. B. & D. Chamberlain, Nos. 2 & 9 School Street

Boston: Isaac R. Butts, 1844. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good. First Edition. [4], 56, 7, [1-blank], xiv pages. 8vo. Publisher's brown cloth, blind stamped design front and rear panels. Spine panel with gold lettering ''Pneumatic Experiments'' still bright and clean. 1/2 inch chip missing from head of spine panel. Base of spine panel and corners worn and with minor loss. Ex-library RPI (presented by Prof. Charles Drowne, properly deaccessioned) with institute bookplate on front pastedown endpaper and paper label at base of spine. Ink signed by Drowne on second blank flyleaf. Pencil notation (signature?) "E.S. Ritchie" and in another hand "313 Washington St" on the front flyleaf. With an additional woodcut illustration on laid paper loosely inserted at pages 48/49. Lightly penciled sequential numbers in the margins of some pages, next to some (but not all) of the experiments associated with various apparatus. Cloth. The first 56 pages are the main catalogue of Pneumatic Instruments (with 105 woodcuts). The next seven pages are of hydrostatic and hydraulic apparatus, with an additional 14 woodcuts. The last fourteen (xiv) pages are a price catalogue for Chamberlain's wares, indexed by both the apparatus catalogue number and illustration number.

E.S. Ritchie is likely Edward Samuel Ritchie, American physicist and inventor. Ritchie was in partnership with Chamberlain at 313 Washington St [Boston] from at least 1850, but left in 1854 to start his own successful scientific instrument business, retaining the address on Washington St for his own business. (see Warner, Rittenhouse Vol 9, No. 1 for a detailed description of Ritchie's business).

Prof. Drowne was a logical person to own a copy of Chamberlain's catalogue. "Charles Drowne, A.M., C.E., was born July 5, 1824. He graduated from Rensselaer in 1847, the same year he was appointed repeater of mathematics and physics at Rensselaer. In 1849, he was adjunct professor of theoretical and practical mathematics. In 1851, he received the appointment of professor of mathematics, astronomy and geodesy, which he held until 1855. In 1859 he was appointed senior professor, and professor of civil engineering, and in 1860 was made director and professor of theoretical and practical mechanics." (RPI archives website)

A wonderfully illustrated, and early American scientific trade catalogue.