CONVERSATIONS ON CHEMISTRY; IN WHICH THE ELEMENTS OF THAT SCIENCE ARE FAMILIARLY EXPLAINED AND ILLUSTRATED BY EXPERIMENTS
Book Details + Condition: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green (London). Early Edition, 1825. Two-volume hardcover set, with books measuring approximately 7.25" x 4.75". Marbled boards with three-quarters leather binding; marbled endpapers and marbled text block. Pagination: 367pp; 338pp with Index. Illustrated. The first conversational book exploring chemistry, written by and intended for 19th-century women in the field of chemistry and physics. Jane Marcet originally published this book anonymously, and did not get proper recognition until over a decade after its publication. Her works became standard texts at girls’ schools throughout the United States as "conversations" framed in question-and-answer format, which at the time were considered to be appropriate for teaching science to women. From the Science History Institute: "Her works became standard texts at girls’ schools throughout the United States. Marcet’s books express what must have been the philosophy and the experience of their author: that girls, like their brothers, should keep pace with up-to-date natural and human sciences." The book made complex chemistry concepts accessible not just to women, but also influenced the scientist Michael Faraday, who is most famous for his discoveries in electrolysis.
For both volumes: firm binding; rubbed corners and edges; rubbing and wear to boards; foxing to first and last few pages; interior is clean and free of markings.
