Berzelius, Jöns Jacob

Stockholm, Henr. A. Nordström 1817-1830. Vol. 1 in second revised edition the rest in first edition. (10), 726 pp. + 4 folding plates; (2), IV, (4), 640, (2), (2) (publ. cat.) pp.; (4), 496, (2) pp. + 6 folding plates; XVI, 564, (2) pp. + 1 folding plate; X, 565-1300, 6, (2) pp. + 1 folding table; (4), VI, 415, 416a-c, 417-896, (2) pp. The appendix to vol. 3 is in 4:o, with title: Tabell, som utvisar vigten af större delen vid den oorganiska Kemiens studium märkvärdiga enkla och sammansatta kroppars atomer, jemte deras sammansättning, räknad i procent. Pp. 100. First three volumes in contemporary half calf, the next three in similar contemporary half calf, spines gilt. All spines worn and partly damaged. Vol. 4 is unfortunately missing the last 6 pages and a plate, vol. 5 is missing a folding table. Some pencil annotations in margins throughout, some occasional staining, 1 plate in first volume torn.

This is the original Swedish edition of Berzelius' famous "Textbook of Chemistry", here without the rare Appendix to vol. 3. Vol. 1 is here in the second edition, corrected and enlarged. The German edition that followed brought the work to the attention of an international public and the work was later published in several languages. This general textbook came to be the primary source of knowledge for the chemists and pharmacists of the period. First three volumes have belonged to the Swedish chemist Carl Palmstedt (1785-1870), friiend of Berzelius and first head of what today is called Chalmers Tekniska Högskola. On first blank of the three volumes he has signed and written "Rese-Exemplar" in ink.