Author: [LA CHAPELLE, Jean-Baptiste de and Cornelis van ENGELEN (translator)].
Title: De zee tot land gemaakt, of, alle landing zeker gesteld, bevattende een onfeilbaar middel, om niet alleen alle drenkelingen, en als men 't ongeluk heeft van in 't water te vallen, zich zelven, te redden, maar ook om gehele armeën, door een rivier, ja door een zee heen, tegen een vijandlijk land aan te voeren.Amsterdam, J. W. Werlingshoff, 1805. 8vo. With 4 engraved plates on 2 folding leaves. Later quarter vellum, blue decorated paper sides.
Description: IV, 139, [1] pp.Exceptionally rare Dutch edition of a remarkable work about life jackets. The work, written by mathematician and inventor Jean-Baptiste de la Chapelle (ca. 1710-1792), contains a description of the manufacture and use of a life jacket made of cork, which La Chapelle invented himself. This jacket, called a "scaphandre", could be used by those who had fallen into water and were unable to swim, but also by soldiers who were invading enemy territory over water. The present edition is very rare. It has only been recorded in one library worldwide (University of Amsterdam), and we have not been able to find any other copies in sales records of the past hundred years.La Chapelle was one of the contributors to Diderot & D'Alembert’s Encyclopedie. He invented the word "scaphander", derived from the Greek word “scaphos” (boat) and “andros” (man). According to La Chapelle, his floating suit was a big improvement on earlier inventions by Thevenot, Digby, Wynman, Gelaci, and especially on the more recent invention by Wilkinson. La Chapelle's invention consisted of a sleeveless jacket and a pair of trousers, the jacket comprising floats to transform the wearer into a "human boat". The floats could be altered to allow the wearer to submerge. The floating suit was originally designed for military purposes, and was accompanied by a special hat in the shape of a swan. This hat served both to disguise the person in the water in order to enable him to approach the enemy unnoticed, and to provide a dry compartment to store ammunition when crossing water. The plates beautifully depict the floating suits, both in detail and in full use.The present work is a translation of Traité de la construction théorique et pratique du scaphandre ou du bateau de l'homme (1774). The Dutch translation was made by Cornelis van Engelen (1722-1793) and first published in 1777 as De scaphander of de konst om in de diepste wateren dryvende te gaan by G. Warnars in Amsterdam. Although the present work could be seen as the second edition, it is actually a republication of the first. It has a different title-page and introduction, but is otherwise identical. Both versions are equally rare.The front board has been very slightly rubbed. The work has been tightly bound and is uncut, the first few leaves are somewhat browned, a tear in the fold of the second folding leaf has been repaired with tape, slightly affecting the image. Otherwise in very good condition.l Bierens de Haan 845; WorldCat 922514250 (1 copy); cf. Poggendorf I, p. 1338 (French ed.).

Keywords: [G8L04JB1BVED] MARITIME HISTORY|[G8L04JB1BVED] MARITIME HISTORY -> [G8N93VI0LTSB] Naval History|[KCVDN0K9X7XL] MILITARY HISTORY|[KCVDN0K9X7XL] MILITARY HISTORY -> [KCVE6ENMXKKO] Military History 18th Century|[E51AD6E3D609] SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY|[E51AD6E3D6