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     MOXON, Joseph. Practical perspective; or Perspective made easie. Teaching by the opticks, how to delineate all bodies, buildings, or landskips, &c. By the catoptricks, how to delineate confused appearences, so as when seen in a mirror or pollisht body of any intended shape, the reflection shall shew a designe. By the dioptricks, how to draw parts of many figures into one, when seen through a glass or christal cut into many faces. Usefull for all painters, engravers architects, &c. and all others that are any waies inclined to speculatory ingenuity. By Joseph Moxon hydrographer to the Kings most excellent Majesty.  London: printed by Joseph Moxon, and sold at his shop in Russel street, at the signe of Atlas,1670.                                                                            

Folio (285 × 180 mm.), pp. [vi], 66, plus 60 engraved plates on 42 leaves (including 2 folding) and 2 illustrations within the text, including a movable slip with mica window to pp. 7. Blank movable slip to plate LVII supplied in facsimile on old paper, skilful repairs to pp. 8 (verso of movable slip), to verso of folding plates XXXVII and XXXVIII, and a tiny repair to verso of plate XLI, title and plate LX carefully laid-down; lightly foxed, with dampstaining to lower corner of leaves Q and Q2, and to upper corner of 11 leaves of plates, occasional ink marks and annotations in an early hand. Expertly rebound to style in full dark calf by Gledhill. A very good copy.

First edition, scarce with the moveable mica window intact. One of the earliest English works on mathematical perspective, which Moxon was inspired to publish by the lack of comparable works in English. In his preface Moxon writes candidly on his sources: “In this work to save myself the trouble of making all new designes I have collected from several authors such figures as I found most usefull for the instructions of a learner, as from Albert Durer, Neceron, Jean Cosin, Defargues, but the generallity from Hondius, who had them as himself saies (and you may see) from Marolois.” An important seventeenth-century printer and globe-maker, Joseph Moxon (1627-1691) published numerous notable mathematical and scientific texts and was appointed official hydrographer to Charles II in 1662.

 Wing M3018; Fowler 203.

        PRICE: £3,000