Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Considered in Its Present State of Improvement. Describing in a Familiar and Easy Manner the Principal Phenomena of Nature Etc. Etc.

London: J. Dillon for W. And S. Jones, 1799. Five volumes complete - Volume One - [3], iv-xxxi, [2], 2-592pp; Volume Two - [3], iv-viii, [1], 2-576pp; Volume Three - [3], iv-vii, [2], 2-583pp, [1]; Volume Four - [3], iv-viii, [1], 2-576 and Volume Five - [3], 4-47pp, [1], forty-three folding plates. Contemporary half calf and marbled paper over boards, later rebacked, smooth spines divided into six panels by six gilt rules, title label to second panel, volume label to fifth, remaining panels with a series of roundels and dots. Worn to extremities, paper covering boards rubbed, especially to plate volume, corners bumped. Internally lightly browned throughout, occasional pencil lines and comments, some light water staining to a couple of volumes, but generally fairly clean. A few minor nicks and tears, small tears to top margin of H1 in volume one, small ink stain to fore edge of text block of volume three, bottom corner of Q1 missing but not affecting text and a couple of small worm tracks to margins in volume four, plates are generally quite bright, though most are lightly creased to edges from folding. Previous owners name to ffep of first volume. Engraved frontispiece to volume one. The plates are engraved by J[oh]n Lodge after T. Milne, possibly John Lodge the II (c.1736-1796), but probably his son John Lodge III (c.1771-1824 or later), who by the early 1790's was signing plates as J. Lodge jnr., and who engraved the frontispiece to the fifth edition of Adams's 'Essay on Electricity' also published by W. & S. Jones in 1799 (see Alexander, 'A Biographical Dictionary of British and Irish Engravers 1714-1820', pages 566-567). First published in 1794. George Adams (1750-1795), was the son of George Adams the mathematical instrument maker to George III (DNB). William Jones (1763-1831), was an optician and was at some time employed by Adams. Jones was "intimate with Priestley, Hutton, Maskelyne, and other well-known men of science and was a fellow of the Astronomical Society ... He also edited and revised a reissue of George Adams's works on natural philosophy" (DNB). Wellcome II:13. Second Edition. Half Calf and Boards. Good. Illus. by Lodge, John. 8vo.