Expériences et observations sur l'électricité faites à Philadelphie en Amérique.

8vo: 24-lxx-[10]-222-[2 bl.]-[30] pp.

Contemp. mottled calf, gilt orn. spine on 5 raised bands (sm. def. on spine), sp. edges.

First French ed. of Franklin's (1706-1790) most famous work on electricity and the first edition issued in a foreign language, a year later than the London ed. "These Philadelphia letters were translated by M. d'Alibard at the request of Count de Buffon; they attracted considerable attention and led d'Alibard and others to experiment with pointed conductors" (Wheeler). Franklin started his experiments with electricity in 1746. He was the first to discover the principle of charge conservation and to label positive and negative electricity as the same "fluid" under different pressures. Ill. with 1 fold. pl.
Ref. BnF. - Wheeler Gift 367d. - Cp. Sabin 25505.
Prov. Mod. stamp. - Some ink and pencil marks.