MECHANICK EXERCISES: OR THE DOCTRINE OF HANDYWORKS

MOXON, Joseph.  MECHANICK EXERCISES: OR THE DOCTRINE OF HANDY-WORKS. Five parts bound in one volume each with its own title leaf.

London: J. Moxon, 1693, 1694 and 1700. 8vo. Contemporary speckled calf. Art of Bricklayers Work, 1700: (ii), 1-46 pages, 8 plates, of which 1 folding/ Art of Joinery, 1694: (ii), 59-114 pages, 4 plates/ Art of House Carpentry, 1694: (ii), 115-169 pages, 4 plates/ Art of Smithing, 1693: (vi), 1-58 pages, 3 plates/ Art of Turning, 1694: (ii), 171-234 pages, 7 plates; (8) pages, Second edition.

First published in 1677, it was originally printed in sections according to the trade featured.  The original order of publication is: smithing, joinery, house-carpentry, turning, and later bricklaying.  Written for the worker, it provides many details and plates showing tools.  It became the harbinger for the many builder's manuals written throughout the eighteenth century.  William Byrd of Westover owned a copy in his library, and Benjamin Franklin owned this same edition.  The collation is erratic but typical with this book, for this copy was originally bound out of sequence.  It begins with the newest section on bricklaying which was the last part, first published in 1700 and rarely found with the second edition.  However, the text for all five parts is

complete with the full complement of 26 plates.   Sympathetically respined.  Internally shows some signs of use and plates to the second section have minor worm damage, but a good and complete copy of a rare and important item.

 

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