French Physicist (23 results)

HC. engravings by C. Boissel (illustrator). 350pp Title translates roughly to: "The Philosopher without Claim, or the Rare Man, Works Physical, Chemical, Political and Moral." A curious work of science fiction in which the author expounds upon his theories in physics and chemistry. A visitor from Mercury arrives on Earth ina an 'electrical flying machine' (as seen in the frontispiece). This machine is considered the first forerunner of the dynamo powered by static electricity when its two globes are rubbed with camphor. The Mercurian, Ormaris, presents Lafolie's own scientific opinions in the fields of electricity, geology, mineralogy and chemistry. In addition he scoffs the theories of the fixed air of Priestley, as well as the conversion of air into water. The author was the first to discover the yellow dyeing extracted and to successful fix it on wire of the red color of the Indies. Text in French. An exceptional copy of museum quality!!! Frontis is bound instead with Chapter 1. very good+++, full calf, raised bands (hardcover) EXCEPTIONAL !!

Pas de couverture. Condition: Bon. Authentic photo back signed in 1997. Size : 10x15 cm. Condition : see scans please. Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. Signé par l'auteur.

Pas de couverture. Condition: Bon. Authentic card signed in the 90s. + Photo 15x17.5 cm (recent print). Size : 7.5x12.5 cm. Condition : see scans please. Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. Signé par l'auteur.

Pas de couverture. Condition: Bon. Authentic card signed in January 1980. + Photo 21x15 cm (recent print). Size : 10x15 cm. Condition : see scans please. Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. Signé par l'auteur.

Pas de couverture. Condition: Très bon. Rare - Card signed in the late 90s. + Photo 22x15 cm (recent print) Size : 10x15 cm. Condition : see scans please. Provenance : personal collection. Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. Signé par l'auteur.

Oblong 8vo. ½ page. A short note recounting the fortunate circumstances of Leprince-Ringuet's rediscovery of a particularly charming house at the quai de Béthune in Paris: "Je suis toujours dans le joie lorsqu'une occasion favorable me permit de retrouver l'admirable maison du quai de "Béthune" et la chambre ambiance artistique de Madame Renaud". - The notable French physicist, science historian, and essayist Leprince-Ringuet was involved with establishing the the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and served as vice chair and chair of its scientific policy committee. He discovered the kaon particle and coined the term 'hyperon'.

Pas de couverture. Condition: Très bon. Rare - Card personally signed in the late 90s. + Photo 22x15 cm (recent print) Size : 10x15 cm. Condition : see scans please. Provenance : PhP Autographs collection. Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. Signé par l'auteur.

xl, 454 pages, 1 blank sheet. - Strong italian vellum binding of the period over 5 slightly raised bands with blank endpapers, all edges sparkled red; 8vo.(ca. 18 x 12 x 3 cm). *** [FRÜHLINGSVERKAUF-Endspurt, noch bis Montag den 25.05.2026 / Ultimate SPRING-SALE, only until Monday May 25th 2026: um über 35% REDUZIERTER PREIS / PRICE-REDUCTION of over 35%; ehemaliger Preis / previously EUR 265,-] --- COMPLETE ZANE-EDITION IN A ORIGINAL VELLUM-BINDUNG OF THE PERIOD; inner frontpanel with old (18th or 19th century) engraved holograph-augmented typographic Exlibris >BIBLIOTECA RICCARDI / in Modena / S. ''VII'' F. ''5'' N. ''61.''< --- Binding somewhat spotty, rearpanel slightly darker; endpapers vertically cut off at foredge (front ca. 4 cm, rear ca. 2 cm), interior frontjoint slightly split between front flyleaf and titlepage not affecting the tight binding; both sides of the woodblock-vignette at titlepage with ca. 2x2 cm cutouts, apparently to remove manuscript ownership inscriptions of the period (minimal rest - old ink - still visible); bottom of titlepage with 2 green round censorhip-stamps of the period 'Diocesa di Modena'; lower outer corner with shallow old humidity-stain from page 300-, upper outer corner with even smaller one from page 380 onwards. - A GOOD COPY.

Questions actuelles en Luminescence Cristalline. (signed !) CURIE, Maurice / Daniel CURIE Verlag: Paris: Revue D'Optique Théorique et Instrumentale, 1. Auflage 1956, ERSTAUSGABE, ca. 24cm x 16,5cm. (3), 85, (1) p. Original wrappers with title to spine and to cover. Spine with some rubbing, rear cover with browning. Private stamp in lower corner of title page, inside very clean. Overall in good condition. Special copy for the authors with publisher's stamp "Hommage des Auteurs" and signature of Maurice Curie and Daniel Curie to title page. With numerous graphs, text in French.

Oblong 12mo. 2 pp. Letter of acceptance in response to the invitation of an unidentified president, possibly of a university, to a "dinner of the friends of the University": "C'est avec un très grand plaisir que je me rendai le 21 mars à 19h 30 au diner des amis de l'Université que je remercie bien vivement de leur aimable accueil [.]". - On headed stationery.

12mo. 1 p. With autograph address. Mounted on paper (4to). To the inventor and engineer Édouard Belin (1876-1933), congratulating him on the solution of a difficult problem: "Ce fut pour moi un grand plaisir de voir comment vous étiez parvenu à résoudre un problème passionnant et bien difficile. Je ne doute pas que vous continuerez à progresser dans le merveilleux". - As a pioneer of wireless telegraphy and radio transmission, Branly was an important predecessor to Belin, who invented the Bélinographe, the first phototelegraphic device. - Ink very slightly faded.

Folio. 1 p. Age toned. Printed letterhead "Institut du Radium Laboratoire Curie." Official certificate titled "Dosage de radium par le rayonnement ," completed in manuscript and signed by Marie Curie in her capacity as Director of the Curie Laboratory. The document certifies the measurement of radium by gamma radiation, issued to accompany an "appareil à sel de radium solide" corresponding to "vingt-cinq mille grammes, vingt-huit centimes." - A rare and important scientific document demonstrating Curie's meticulous supervision of the Radium Institute's analytical work and her direct involvement in the standardization and calibration of radioactive substances. Such certificates were issued only under her authority, attesting to the precision of her laboratory's pioneering radiometric methods.

8vo. 3 1/2 pp. bifolium. A deeply personal and compassionate wartime letter in which Marie Curie writes to a friend or assistant during the First World War, expressing concern for families separated by the German occupation of northern France and giving news of her circle: "C'est encore un médecin qui voudrait profiter de votre bonté pour avoir des nouvelles de sa femme et de ses enfants dont il est séparé depuis l'occupation de Lille. Voici l'adresse de cette famille : Mme Lefebvre-Smet, rue Saint-André 31 à Lille. Si vous pouvez savoir quelque chose sur eux, vous serez bien bonne de me l'écrire." - Curie mentions her travels and the health of her daughters: "Je pars en voyage demain après être revenue il y a quelques jours de Chambéry. Mes enfants vont bien et travaillent bien." - She also provides updates about close acquaintances, including Paul Langevin, her former companion: "Mr Langevin a été mobilisé mais il sera probablement utilisé à Paris au ministère de la Marine. Mr Malfitano est revenu à Paris et doit aller travailler à Toulouse dans un institut de préparation des sérums. Je n'ai pas de nouvelles de ma famille en Pologne, et cela me chagrine." - An affectionate and humane letter revealing Curie's empathy during wartime hardship, her continued dedication to others, and her quiet sorrow at being without news from her family in Poland. Written in the midst of her tireless efforts to equip and operate mobile X-ray units for the French army.

4to. 3/4 p. Briefkopf Faculté des Sciences de Paris. Institut du Radium. Laboratoire Curie. With envelope. J'ai pu voir Mr Béclère [Antoine Béclère] et je lui ai exposé la question. Il croit que l'examen présentera des difficultés sérieuses et veut en causer avec vous. Il est entièrement à votre disposition pour examiner la malade et vous prie de venir le voir après avoir pris rendez-vous par téléphone. [] J'espère que vous voudrez bien me faire part de ce qui aura été convenu et je suis à votre disposition pour installer les appareils. []"Translation: "I was able to see Mr. Béclère [Antoine Béclère], and I explained the matter to him. He believes that the examination will pose serious difficulties and wants to discuss it with you. He is entirely at your disposal to examine the patient and asks you to come and see him after scheduling an appointment by phone. [.] I hope you will kindly inform me of what has been agreed upon, and I am at your disposal to set up the equipment.".

Large 8vo. 2 pp. On the letterhead of Faculté des Siences de Paris | Laboratoire de Physique Générale". 2 stamps on the back side of page 4 dating May 7, 1907. Slightly wrinkled and a minor tear to the horizontal fold (1 cm). To comte Jouffroy d'Albans, Consule of France in Liverpool. Je ne puis malheureusement vous donner de renseignements détaillés relativement à la production de Sélénium. Je n'ai pas eu connaissance d'une usine en produisant régulièrement. Ce corps est extrait des résidus de fabrication d'acide sulfurique (boues des chambres de plomb). Vous aurez peut-être des renseignements en vous adressant à une maison de produits chimiques, par ex à la maison Chenal Darichet à Paris, rue de la Sorbonne. Cette maison en a produit il y a quelque temps une certaine quantité. Agréez, Monsieur, je vous prie, mes salutations sincères. []"Translation:Unfortunately, I cannot give you detailed information regarding the production of Selenium. I have not heard of a factory producing regularly. This body is extracted from sulfuric acid manufacturing residues (sludge from chambers lead). You may get information by contacting a chemical house, for example at the Chenal Darichet house in Paris, rue de la Sorbonne. This house produced a certain amount of it some time ago []".

4to. 2 pages on bifolium. In French. To the astronomer John Herschel, thanking for his work with Charles Babbage, with a recommendation from the general and engineer Guillaume Piobert, who hopes to meet Herschel in England, and regretting that he has not yet received a copy of his new paper on electrodynamic phenomena ("Théorie des phénomènes électro-dynamiques [.]", Méquignon-Marvis, 1826): "Monsieur, je désirais depuis longtemps vous écrire pour vous remercier de l'envoi que vous avez bien voulu me faire de plusieurs des ouvrages dont vous êtes l'auteur ou que vous avez publiés en commun avec monsieur Babbage [.]".

Large 8vo. 3 pp. on bifolium. Probably to the politician and writer Jean-François Roger, editor of a bilingual edition of Joseph de Jouvency's "Appendix de diis et heroibus poeticis" for the study of Ovid. Ampère was charged by the "Commission des livres classiques" of the ministry of public instruction to evaluate the possible use of this publication as a textbook. He advises against discarding any parts of the notes: "indispensable for a beginner who would study alone, they cannot be regarded as useless for students in the various institutions of public instruction" (transl.). Ampère lauds the translations in "correct French" as "the best manner to make difficult passages understood". The only problem would be "the impossibility to examine pupils based on a copy of the book, where they see what they need to say at the bottom of the page". Therefore, Ampère conceives a system of cross-references that would allow for separating text and translation. But he immediately rejects his own ideas since they "probably have no foundation" and he might appear a second-guesser ("faire complètement le gros-jean"). - Ampère only calls the book in question "Appendix", and it is not quite clear which edition he refers to. Jean-François Roger (1776-1842) had first published his Latin-French version in 1806 and several editions followed when it was adopted as a textbook by the "Commission des livres classiques". Both Roger and Ampère were members of the Commission, and as Ampère addresses the recipient as his colleague, it is very likely that this was indeed Roger. - With a collector's note in pencil. Minor browning.

Oblong 4to. 3 pp. With autograph sleeve. In French, containing cues for an introductory lecture on the scientific history of phosphorescence, electromagnetic radiation, and radioactivity held at the museum of the military academy of Saint-Cyr. In his opening remarks Becquerel draws a connection between museums and the research on phosphorescence, also mentioning his father Edmond, who had been a professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. He stresses the importance of the history of ideas in the natural sciences: "There are some phenomenona that seem traditionally to be researched at museums. Phosphorescence is one of them. [Charles François de Cisternay] Du Fay worked on it in 1724. 50 years ago, my father started a series of research projects that have not been interrupted since. If I introduce you to some of these old experiments today it is because the ideas that they brought forward will lead us to the most recent discoveries." Following this historic approach, Becquerel mentions the first description of phosphorescence in 1602, du Fay's experiments with electric charges, the invention of the Crookes tube around 1870 which made Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of X-rays in 1895 possible, the discovery of polonium and radium by his student Marie Curie and her husband Pierre in 1898, the differentiation of alpha, beta, and gamma rays by Ernest Rutherford between 1899 and 1903, and a variety of other important scientific contributions. Although the cues include a few diagrams and formulae, Becquerel's aim was clearly propaedeutic with a lecture tailored to a young audience. In his closing statement, he offers two vivid metaphors of the recently discovered electron: "Within an atom the electrons are as distant as the planets in the solar system. An electron is much smaller than a microscopic mosquito flying in the nave of a cathedral." - Lightly folded, in very good condition.

Folio. 1 p. and four lines on bifolium. List of expenses for extensive fortification works executed in June, 1800 on Roda island ("isle de Raouda") located on the Nile in Cairo. The total costs, including the wages of a water carrier and a cameleer, amouted to 72,848 francs that were comfortably within the budget of 84,000 francs. - After the assassination on 14 June 1800 of General Jean-Baptiste Kléber, who had been in command of the "Armée d'orient" since Napoleon's departure, the collapse of the French occupation of Egypt was imminent. The Anglo-Ottoman offensive started in March 1801 and reached Cairo by May. On 22 June the French garrison under Augustin Daniel Belliard surrendered and withdrew to Alexandria. The siege of Alexandria from 17 August to 2 September put an end to the Egyptian campaign with the remaining French troops, including Malus, being repatriated to France on British ships according to the terms of the capitulation agreement. - Étienne-Louis Malus was trained to become a military engineer at the École royale du génie de Mézières and the École Polytechnique in Paris. In 1796 he joined the Engineers Corps of the revolutionary army and quickly ascended the ranks. His scientific career started during the Egyptian campaign when he became a member of the newly founded Institut d'Égypte. Malus' mathematical work was almost entirely concerned with the study of light; he is known for Malus's law, giving the resultant intensity, when a polariser is placed in the path of an incident beam. In 1810 Malus was elected into the Académie des Sciences. That same year the Royal Society of London awarded him the Rumford Medal. - Well preserved with small pinholes along left hand edge of the document.

Folio. 1½ pp. List of expenses for work performed by the French army in Giza and on Roda island located on the Nile in Cairo. A summary of fortification and building costs with the corresponding budgets certified and signed by Malus. The total cost amounted to 101,782 francs. - Written shortly before Napoleon's unexpected departure from Egypt, the list bears witness to the extensive French building campaign during the Egyptian expedition (1798-1801). - Étienne-Louis Malus was trained to become a military engineer at the École royale du génie de Mézières and the École Polytechnique in Paris. In 1796 he joined the Engineers Corps of the revolutionary army and quickly ascended the ranks. His official scientific carrier started during the Egyptian campaign when he became a member of the newly founded Institut d'Égypte. Malus' mathematical work was almost entirely concerned with the study of light; he is known for Malus's law, giving the resultant intensity, when a polariser is placed in the path of an incident beam. In 1810 Malus was elected into the Académie des Sciences. That same year the Royal Society of London awarded him the Rumford Medal. - Folded with a minor tear. Well preserved.

Large 4to. 3½ pp. on bifolium. In pencil and black ink. List in tabular form, possibly on infrared spectrum.

4to. 1 p. on bifolium. With autogr. envelope. To "Mademoiselle Cuvier au jardin des plantes", daughter of the French naturalist, apologizes for delaying in seeing his friend Cuvier, and expresses the hope he may be permitted to visit him that evening to show a scientific instrument, "autrement je le laisserai au domestique, dans le cas je vous supplierai de lui offrir mes voeux pour son heureux voyage et son prompt retour [.]".

Pas de couverture. Condition: Bon. Rare - Autograph letter signed. Paris, March 10, 1915. + Photo 22x15 cm (recent print). Size : 17.5x11 cm. Condition : small tears in the fold, please see scans. Certificate of Authenticity and lifetime guarantee. Signé par l'auteur.