Versuch über die natürliche and politische Geschichte der böhmischen and mährischen Bergwerke

Finely engraved title-page, one folding engraved map, & numerous large & fine engraved head- & tail-pieces. xx, 464, [34] pp. Folio, cont. marbled sheep (lower cover a little abraded), spine richly & brightly gilt, orange morocco lettering piece on spine. Vienna: M. A. Schmidt, 1780. First edition, and a really fine copy, of this beautifully decorated and attractive book. This work contains a detailed account and history, district by district, of the mines of Bohemia, an area of great mineral wealth including coal, lignite, iron, and the raw materials for porcelain. Peithner provides much information on the earlier and contemporary mineralogical and geological histories of the area. Also included is a chapter on the rivers and streams contributing to the Moldau, Elbe, and Eger rivers, with mineralogical remarks. There is a long section of the mining laws and regulations which apply to the region. Peithner (1727-92), was professor of mining at Prague and later became professor of mining law at Chemnitz and privy councillor at Vienna. This copy has none of the foxing or browning which usually is present. The fine head- and tail-pieces are signed by Jacob Adam and J.E. Mansfeld. ❧ Hoover 629. Poggendorff, II, 388-89.