Odologia dos engenheiros constructores, ou guia para a construcção e conservação das estradas em Portugal e no Brasil .

ESCHWEGE, Wilhelm Ludwig von, Barão de.

Published by Lisbon, Typ. da Sociedade Propagadora dos Conhecimentos Uteis, 1843.

About this Item

8°, original yellow printed wrappers (very slightly soiled). Clean and crisp. Partially unopened. In very fine condition. x, 53 pp., 1 folding lithographic plate. *** FIRST EDITION of this guide to the proper building of roads. In a preface, Eschwege contrasts the present state of Portuguese roads with those elsewhere in Europe, citing statistics for roads recently constructed in the United States and various European countries, and rather hopefully calling for the establishment of a permanent national road-building commission. Following is a detailed discussion of the various materials and methods for constructing and maintaining roads. The plate illustrates cross sections of seven different kinds of roads, including ancient Roman and French roads and a "Mach-Adam" road, showing how each is constructed. A second edition was published in Lisbon the following year and a third edition appeared in 1848.Born in Hesse, Germany in 1777, Eschwege was one of several German mineralogists and engineers brought to Portugal in 1802 to help develop the mineral resources of Portugal and Brazil. He spent the years 1807-23 in Brazil as director of gold mines and curator of the royal mineralogical cabinet. While in Brazil he established its first steelworks and undertook several scientific expeditions into the interior of Minas Geraes. His observations were later published in several important works, including Journal von Brasilien (Weimar, 1818), Brasilien die Neue Welt (Braunschweig, 1830), Beiträge zur Gebirgskunde Brasiliens (Berlin, 1832) and Pluto Brasiliensis (Berlin, 1833). Eschwege returned to Portugal in 1824 when D. João VI appointed him Intendente Geral das Minas e Metais, a post he held until 1829, when he returned to Germany rather than serve under D. Miguel. He resumed his former position in 1835, and ended his royal service as an engineer supervising the renovation of various palaces. Eschwege died in Kassel, Germany in 1855.*** Borba de Moraes (1983) I, 293-4: "All of Eschwege's works are rare, and increasingly sought after." Innocêncio III, 168-9: citing only the second edition (Lisbon, 1844). Grande enciclopedia X, 22. Listed in Porbase without location or collation. Jisc repeats British Library, London, only. NUC: Not located in NUC.@, which locates the Lisbon, 1844 edition at MiU and the Lisbon, 1848 edition at ICN.

Seller Inventory # 21282

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Odologia dos engenheiros constructores, ou guia para a construcção e conservação das estradas em Portugal e no Brasil .
• Publisher: Lisbon, Typ. da Sociedade Propagadora dos Conhecimentos Uteis, 1843.
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition