A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON RAIL-ROADS, AND INTERIOR COMMUNICATION IN GENERAL; WITH ORIGINAL EXPERIMENTS, AND TABLES ON THE COMPARATIVE VALUE OF CANALS AND RAIL-ROADS. ILLUSTRATED BY ENGRAVINGS. BY NICHOLAS WOOD, COLLIERY VIEWER.
London: Printed for Knight and Lacey, 1825. Later brown buckram, original gilt-lettered red morocco spine label [light chipping, affecting a letter] retained. 8 [publisher advts], [2 blanks], [4], 314 pp, plus six folding plates: frontis, and after pages 50, 84, 122, 144, 156. Occasional mild dusting; closed tear [expertly repaired, barely noticeable and without loss] at last leaf. Except as noted, Very Good.
The first edition of the first comprehensive book [with Thomas Tredgold's 'Treatise' published the same year] on railway engineering. An errata is at page [4]. As Wikipedia notes, Wood "analysed the various types of 'motive power' then in use: self-acting planes, fixed steam-engine planes, horses and steam locomotives." He also presented evidence on the superiority of railroads to canal transportation.
FIRST EDITION. Dibner, Heralds of Science 182. Item #35552
Price: $750.00