A Description and Draught of a New-Invented Machine For Carrying Vessels or Ships Out of, or Into any Harbour, Port, or River, against Wind and Tide, or in a Calm.

Published by Printed for the Author,, London,, 1737

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Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United KingdomShapero Rare Books

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The first edition of Jonathan Hulls' (d.1758) pamphlet advertising his pioneering work on steamboats. An unsophisticated copy with charming pen trials and a small drawing of a man on the binding, and a face in profile on the front free endpaper. Inventor Jonathan Hull 'inherited mechanical skills from his weaver father and displayed a youthful aptitude for repairing neighbours' clocks. He attended Campden grammar school, earning a reputation as a diligent mathematician and skilled technician' and 'is remembered principally for having patented the application of the atmospheric steam engine to marine propulsion. A communication from M. de Quet on mechanical propulsion of ships, published in 1734 in volume 6 of the abridgement of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, may have spurred Hulls to attempt to apply the Newcomen engine for this purpose' (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). Hull was granted a patent on 21st December 1736, printed in full at the beginning of the text, which recognised that 'he hath with much labour and study, and at great expense, invented and formed a Machine, for carrying ships and vessels out from or into any harbour or river, against wind and tide, or in a calm'. He had invented, what was in effect, the first steam-powered tugboat. The machine was to work by harnessing atmospheric pressure: condensed steam would depress pistons connected through a series of ropes and pulleys to a layshaft, a rising counterweight would then reverse the rotation allowing fresh steam to be admitted below the piston. Friction ratchets converted this alternating motion into a continuous rotating force which drove a paddlewheel at the stern of the vessel. Unfortunately, it seems that Hulls' invention never reached open-water trials, although apocryphal tradition states he experimented with his machine on a stretch of the Avon outside of Evesham. Illustrated with a large folding plate showing the hypothetical machine in full detail, with individual figures of the component parts. First edition; 12mo (17.5 x 10 cm); engraved folding plate (17 x 37.5 cm), woodcut initials, head and tailpiece, contemporary ink illustration to front free endpaper, pen trials to front free endpaper and verso of folding plate; contemporary vellum, MS pen trials to covers, small split to upper cover; 48pp. ESTC T121934.…

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Bibliographic details

Title
A Description and Draught of a New-Invented Machine For Carrying Vessels or Ships Out of, or Into any Harbour, Port, or River, against Wind and Tide, or in a Calm.
Author
HULLS, Jonathan.
Publisher
Printed for the Author,, London,
Publication year
1737
Edition
1st Edition

Shapero Rare Books

London, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since June 27, 1998

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Shapero Rare Books is an internationally renowned dealer in antiquarian & rare books and works on paper. Our specialists have particular expertise in fine illustrated books from the 15th to the 20th century, travel & voyages, natural history, modern firsts, rare children’s books, guidebooks, Hebraica & Judaica, works of Russian interest, and Islamica. We have possibly the largest selection of Baedeker and other Travel Guides and our Print Gallery has an enormous selection covering every topic of Antique Prints including Maps and Photographs. Please visit us at http://www.shapero.com…

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ISLAMICA, RUSSIAN BOOKS, HEBRAICA, JUDAICA, BAEDEKER GUIDES, TRAVEL, COLOUR PLATE BOOKS, NATURAL HISTORY, CHILDRENS AND ILLUSTRATED, ENGLISH LITERATURE, MODERN FIRST EDITIONS

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Shapero Rare Books

94 New Bond Street
London, United Kingdom W1S 1SJ