Item #27571 Experiments and Notes about the Mechanical Origine or Production of Electricity. Robert Boyle.
first work on electricity in the English language

Experiments and Notes about the Mechanical Origine or Production of Electricity

London: E. Flesher, for R. Davis 1675. First Edition. 1 leaf, 1-38 pages. 8vo. A1a (sub-title page on electricity) ; A2a-C4b (pp 1-38). Last two leaves with smaller font size as issued. Bound in later paper wrappers, the whole in cloth boards with 4 flap enclosure inside. Near Fine. Cloth. [27571]


This tract is the first work on electricity in the English language. It is one (ONLY) of eleven tracts (each with separate sub-title pages) published in Boyle's collection "Experiments, Notes, &c. About the Mechanical Origine or Production of divers particular Qualities: Among which is inserted a Discourse of the Imperfection of the Chymist's Doctrine of Qualities...", 1675, London: Flesher for R. Davis. This is just the one tract - not the collection.

Fulton in his Boyle bibliography (2nd edition) notes the collection of eleven tracts "is rare and often imperfect, and it contains two of Boyle's major contributions to physical science...The collection is important because of the tracts on magnetism and electricity." Fulton goes on to debunk the imposters to the title of "first work on electricity" in a paragraph long discussion I won't retrace here. There were two issues of the collection differing only in the title page date. It is important to note that Fulton confirms the last two leaves of this tract were published in smaller type (as here).

An important tract on it's own and as the first work on electricity in the English language worthy of preservation.

Fulton, "A Bibliography of the Honourable Robert Boyle, Fellow of the Royal Society, Second Edition", Oxford: 1961. #123

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