Antique French Astronomy Manual with Folding Plates (c. 1827)

🔸 Description

Rare and authentic 19th-century French astronomy manual, titled Manuel d’Astronomie, ou Traité Élémentaire de cette Science dans l’état actuel de nos connaissances.
Published in Paris around 1827, this work belongs to the renowned Roret encyclopedic collection, designed to popularize scientific knowledge during the early modern era.

Authored by Charles-François Bailly de Merlieux (1800–1862), lawyer turned bookseller and prolific scientific vulgarizer, this manual offers a structured and accessible overview of astronomical principles as understood in the early 19th century.

The book is richly illustrated with folding engraved plates, including:
- Solar system diagrams
- Boreal planisphere
- Astronomical instruments
-Geometrical constructions related to celestial mechanics

These plates reflect the pedagogical approach of the period, combining observation, geometry, and cosmology in a tangible and visual manner.

A genuine working manual from its time, bearing the marks of age and use, this volume stands as a compelling artifact of early scientific education and historical astronomy.

🔸 Bibliographic Details

Author: Charles-François Bailly de Merlieux
Publisher: Librairie encyclopédique Roret, Paris
Printer: Imprimerie Crapelet
Year: c. 1827 (undated)
Language: French
Format: In-12
Size: 15.5 × 9.5 cm
Pages: 296 pages (complete)
Illustrations: 4 folding plates (complete)
Weight: approx. 200 g

🔸 Condition

Modest but complete copy, consistent with its age:

- Worn original paper cover, split joints
- Foxing throughout
- Signs of past moisture on upper margins (no loss of text)
- Ink marks on plate n°1, with small tears
- Possible missing title page
- No missing pages
- Binding remains intact

Overall good and honest condition for a scientific manual over 190 years old.

🪶 Collector’s Note
Original scientific manuals of this kind are increasingly scarce, especially with all folding plates present.
A true witness of early modern astronomy, ideal for collectors of antique science books, cosmology, astrology, or historical instruments of knowledge.

From my very rare book collection — long out of print and increasingly difficult to find.