< Back

Using spiders to predict the weather, leading to French victory in the Netherlands

QUATREMERE DISJONVAL, Denis Bernard.
Neueste Entdeckungen über die Natur der Spinnen und vorzüglich über deren Verhältniß mit den Veränderungen in der Atmosphäre, in wie fern sie nämlich die Beschaffenheit der Witterung voraus anzeigen. Aus dem französischen der zweiten Ausgabe frei übersetzt.





Berlin, Leipzig, (no publisher), 1801. Small 8vo. Original boards with red gilt title label on spine. 148 pp.

Second German edition after the second French edition of an interesting work on spiders by Denis Bernard Quatremere Disjonval (1754-1830), French scientist, chemist and member of the French Academy. The first edition published 1796 (or 1797??). The book is divided in 12 chapters. The first German edition was published in 1799/8?.
Disjonval served under the Dutch Patriots (1789) in the Netherlands. He was imprisoned by the Dutch Orangists and he returned to Paris in 1796. During his imprisonment he seems to have studied the behaviour of spiders and derived from it the change in the weather. He even was able to predict the weather. With this knowledge he predicted the upcoming frost in winter 1795 and warned the French troops under General Pichegru who was busy with an invasion of the Netherlands. The General was now able to use the frozen water to seize Utrecht and later the Netherlands as a whole. Several publications on his obervations of spiders followed: Nouveau calendrier aranélogique (The Hague, Van Cleef, 1795-1799, four yearly issues), L''Aranéologie (Paris, 1797).

Good copy.
Poggendorf II, 548 (not this edition); Nouvelle biographie general 41, 283-84; Bierens de Haan 3853 (Dutch ed.)

Related Subjects: Entomology  Germany  Natural History  Zoology 

Add to Shopping cart
€ 450,00

Prices in EUROS (€), shipping and BTW/VAT extra.

< Back

Terms of sale

All items are offered subject to prior sale. Prices are nett and in (€) EURO. VAT/BTW, postage, and insurance are not included. 

Free shipping for orders over € 2,500.  EU customers: if applicable, please quote your VAT number when placing orders.

Preferred mode of payment: by credit card through our secure online payment service, which is facilitated by Ogone. If you wish to make other arrangements, please contact us. Terms of sale

E-mail this to a friend







This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots. (see: www.captcha.net)

Type the characters that you see in the box (5 characters). The code can include characters 0..9 and A..F.*

  


Antiquariaat FORUM B.V.
Tuurdijk 16
3997 MS t Goy-Houten,
The Netherlands
Phone: (+31) (0)30 601 1955
Fax: (+31) (0)30 601 1813
E-mail: info@forumrarebooks.com
Web: http://www.forumrarebooks.com