Villas Boas Custodio Gomes (1 results)

4°, contemporary crimson morocco (slight wear at extremities; leather darkened in a few spots), spine with raised bands in six compartments, gilt fillets and letter, covers with gilt borders containing gilt fillets, edges of covers milled, marbled endleaves, all text-block edges gilt. Woodcut arms of Academia Real das Sciencias on title page. Numerous woodcut tables in text. Light dampstain in upper outer corner of last few leaves. In fine condition. Eighteenth-century stamp of second Duke of Lafões, founder of the Academia Real das Sciencias, on title page. viii, 148 pp., (including last 3 pp. with "Catalogo das obras já impressas, e mandadas compôr pela Academia Real das Sciencias de Lisboa ."). *** FIRST and ONLY EDITION of this nautical and astronomical almanac for the year 1794. A number of similar volumes were published by the Academia Real das Sciencias annually from 1788 through 1805, as well as some for later years; all are rare. Some were published anonymously, others by Custodio Gomes de Villas-Boas, while at least one was written by him in collaboration with Francisco Antonio Ciera and Francisco de Borja Garção Stockler, and others were published by José Maria Dantas Pereira de Andrade. Villas-Boas (1741-1808), a member of the Academia Real das Sciencias, was an artillery officer, student of mathematics with a degree in that subject from Coimbra University, and was "jubilado" in the Academia Real de Marinha. His final post was as Governor of the praça de Valença. According to some he was a native of Guimarães; others claim he was born in Barcellos. He made a number of contributions to the Memorias of the Academia Real das Sciencias on navigation and astronomy, and, jointly with Francisco Antonio Ciera translated Flamsteed's Atlas celeste into Portuguese, with revisions and corrections.Provenance: The second Duke of Lafões, D. João Carlos de Bragança Sousa Ligne Tavares Mascarenhas da Silva (1719-1806), was of the closest possible affinity to the royal house: his father was the legitimized son of D. Pedro II. A nobleman of great talent and public spirit, he led the aristocratic opposition to Pombal, living outside Portugal during most of Pombal's reign. In the quarter-century after Pombal's fall he became one of the dominant public figures. He was appointed Councilor of War in 1780, of State in 1796, and marshal-general of the Portuguese armies. A man of great culture and scientific appreciation and a witty and generous patron, the Duke assisted both Gluck and Mozart during his absence from Portugal. Immediately upon his return he founded the Academy of Sciences in order to assure Portugal the benefits of the philosophic enlightenment.*** Not in Os sucessores de Zacuto: o almanque na Biblioteca Nacional. Not in Innocêncio; see II, 112-3 and IX, 97. Porbase cites a single copy of the present volume, in the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, as well as other volumes for other years. Jisc repeats the run of ten volumes from 1788 to 1796 at British Library, and a run of four volumes from 1790-1794 for the years 1791-1793, and 1795, at Oxford University. Josiah cites a copy of the volume published in 1799 for the year 1800 ONLY at the John Carter Brown Library. No eighteenth-century volumes located in Hollis (cites only three volumes, for 1823-1825, published 1822-1824). No volumes located in Orbis.