Vuigner E (5 results)

PF. Condition: New.

PF. Condition: New.

PF. Condition: New.

PF. Condition: New.

Two vols. 1st - 4to. viii, 64; 2nd - Folio. 11 x 14 in. [4] pp. With 24 large double-page steel-engraved plates, executed by L. Guiquet, folded & mounted on linen stubs at gutter margin, nearly all retaining their original tissue guard. Uniformly bound in full green morocco, gilt fleurette borders, ruled borders, gilt inner dentelles, raised bands & gilt decoration on spines, white silk moire endpapers, a.e.g. (minor edgewear & rubbing, some bumping & wear to corners of the Atlas vol., occasional light foxing), still a VG set. First editions of this uncommon set tracing the engineering and construction efforts by Vuignier (1798-1865), noted Parisian engineer, to develop and expand the warehouse docks, canal locks, and canal infrastructure of the Canal de l'Ourcq into the Bassin de la Villette, the largest artificial lake in Paris constructed under the reign of Napoleon I. Vuigner had not only overseen the construction of the original grain warehouse docks to feed Paris with the newly created canal link, but from 1839-1840 was the original general manager of the Ourcq Canal Concession who designed and oversaw the construction of the five locks connecting the Canal de l'Ourcq into the Bassin de la Villette, solving the severe sloping issue. As part of the development works carried out by Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann, Vuigner oversaw the upgrading of the warehouse docks along the canals connecting to the Canal de l'Ourcq in order to solve water flow and depth issues, of the Pont de Flandre, and the Quai de la Gironde which are depicted here in drawings, as are improved pumps, and mechanisms for the locks. Two of the original warehouses survived at the end of the Bassin de la Villette, and later converted into artists lofts, but now they have been replaced by the MK2 cinema complexes, and the areas in and around the Bassin and Canals have become thriving and popular outdoor areas. Worldcat locates 7 sets of both volumes (Badische, U of Hannover, Paris-CNAM, Paris-Mines Paristech, U of Valencia, Biblioteca Nacional Espana, Sevilla).