Delius, Christoph Traugott; Anleitung zu der Bergbaukunst nach ihrer Theorie und Ausübung, nebst einer Abhandlung von den Grundsätzen der Berg-Kammeralwissenschaft, für die Kaiserl. Schemnitzer Bergakademie entworfen, von Christoph Traugott Delius, Ihro Röm. Kaiserl. Königl. Apostol. Majestät wirklichen Hof-Kommissionsrathe bey Dero Hofkammer in Münz- und Bergwesen. Wien: Gedruckt auf Unkosten des höchsten A Erarii bey Joh. Thomas Edlen v. Trattnern, 1773. First edition, large quarto, pp. 20, 519, 45, 24 copper engraved folding plates, engraved title page vignette.
The work is complete and bound in an early French style, full calf with gilt spine titles and date in planes. Raised spine panels with embossed tooling, embossed tooling, light red text block edges, marbled end papers. The binding is tight and clean, light scuffing to boards. Text and all plates are clean and bright, very edge of plates with light soiling, small piece at edge of first free end sheet clipped out. An exceptionally clean copy of a rare work on geology and mining.
Christoph Traugott Delius, (1728-1779) was a Hungarian mining geologist, mineralogist Professor at the Chemnitz Academy’s School of Mines and also the government’s Inspector of Mines. He is considered one of the foremost authorities on mining in the 18th century. He wrote a number of papers and also this important treatise. His 1773 treatise contains Delius’ theory on the formation of mountains and the origins of their ore deposits. His treatise also contains details on locating the ore deposits, the extraction of the deposits and the methods and equipment used in the mining process and metallurgy methods used. He also discovered new processes for the extraction of copper and located a precious opal mine in Hungary.
