Institutes of Natural Philosophy, Theoretical and Practical (with) An Appendix to the Astronomical Part, selected from Mr. Ewing's Practical Astronomy (and) The introduction to the First Principles of Chemistry, being made an Appendix

The FIRST AMERICAN Edition from the second London edition with title page dated Jan. 1802. Quarto in original calf boards, respined in polished light tan calf retaining the original title label in red leather lettered in gilt. xvi (including the Advertisment to this First American Edition dated at Boston, January, 1802 as well as the Advertisment To the Second London Edition dated May 14, 1799) + 428 pp. + the 20 pp. "Appendix of the Factitious Airs, and the First Principles of Chemistry". Fifteen numbered folding plates at rear. Front and rear original boards a touch rounded , rear board with a few small chips to the leather. Curiously, both the front and rear pastedowns are lacking though the front and rear free endpapers are present . Text is generally clean with some occasional light foxing. A previous owner (presumably) has pasted small printed diagrams in the margins of some of the first 20 leaves (see the pictures). The plates have some mostly light foxing and there is offsetting to the edges of the free endpapers. William Enfield (1741-1797), a British Unitarian minister and educator saw this work first published in London in 1783. Though a Unitarian, Enfield still respected the established church and its intertwining with government. He argued against Joseph Priestley who opposed these institutions but the two remained friends and Enfield came around to Priestley's point of view concerning the Dissenters civil rights; in fact, he dedicated "Institutes of Natural Philosophy" to Priestley when it was published in 1783. The work is organized in the following "books": I) "Of matter"; II) "Of Mechanics, or the Doctrine of Motion"; III) "Of Hydrostatics And Pneumatics"; IV) "Of Magnetism"; V) "On Electricity"; VI) "Of Optics, or The Laws Of light And Vision"; VII) "Of Astronomy, Part I: Of The Motion of Heavenly Bodies", Part II "Of The Causes Of the Celestial Motions And Other Phenomena, Part III Of The Fixed Stars". There follows the Appendix "Of The Factious Airs, and The First Principles Of Chemistry". There are Solar and Lunar Tables. The first American edition is very uncommon; most copies offered are of the 1820 edition.…