Remarkable collection of four very rare works and two broadsides on sanitation of water fountains for domestic and military use, all in first edition. Joseph Amy (1697-1760) was, according to the title pages of Nouvelles fontaines filtrantes and Suite, "avocat au parlement d'Aix." As is illustrated by the present convolute, he strongly argues for improved sanitary conditions of water supply and the use of safe materials. He discusses water filters, copper, iron, and leaden vessels and tubes, constructions for healthy fountains as drinking water reservoirs, fountains for domestic and military use, and warns against the use of copper vessels, which leads to copper poisoning. He was one of the first to analyse chemically the water quality of French canals and sewers.
Ad 1 and 2: The text is largely a verbal explanation to the visual information of the (folding) woodcuts. These nice illustrations (nicely coloured in ad 2) mainly show constructions for different types of small and large (public) filtering fountains. Plate XIII shows kitchen/ pharmacy utensils and the final plate depicts an interesting large machine for lifting containers of water. The nicest illustrations are the three humorous copperengravings of the inevitabilities of the rule of the "Copper Empire," where subjects die prematurely. It may not be a coincidence that these 3 plates are copper engravings, while all the other plates and illustrations are woodcuts. On the dangers for public health of the use of copper, lead an pewter, Amy published a separate work in the same year (Reflexions sur les vaisseaux de cuivre, de plomb et d'etain (...)). Two of the illustrations of the first work are repeated in the second.
Ad 3: The Nouvelles fontaines domestiques (61,(9) pp.) is followed by Question de medecine (72 pp. and the two folding plates), by François Thiéry, as can be deduced from second edition that also appeared in 1750 (with a different pagination). In that edition both Amy's name and that of François Thiéry are indicated on the respective title pages. The other 2 parts of the work are Avis au public, and Second avis au public. Amy's findings were first published under the title Observations expérimentales sur les eaux des rivières de Seine, de Marne, d'Arcueil et de Puits et sur les filtres et les vaisseaux... les propres à purfier et à conserver l'eau (Paris, Morel le jeune, 1749). The Avis au public and the Second avis au public had been published separately without place or year, but a few copies we traced the combination of the four parts is as in our copy. At the beginning of the convolute is a coloured frontispiece (mounted on a blank leaf) depicting Hercules decapitating the multi-headed monster Hydra. This frontispiece may originally not belong to the work but is quite appropriate in view of the contents of the book.
Ad 4: A prospectus providing a summary of Amy's work with a recommendation for interested readers to buy the book itself. Also mentioning Troard's Parisian fountain factory, at the rue Poissonnière. "Largely advertisement of the invention of Joseph Amy" (Blake).
Ad 5: An advertorial leaflet with 5 rules on the use of fountains and mentioning Amy's work and its publisher, as well as an extensive advertisement of Troard's factory, where approved vessels could be bought.
Ad 6: Rare work by the priest Joseph Berthier demonstrating the drawbacks and inadequacy of the water pump at the Notre-Dame in Paris, and proposing a new design. The government agreed and carefully considered the plan, but ultimately chose the design of Mr. Deparcieux.
The boards and spine have been rubbed, with some loss of material, the joints are somewhat weakened, but the structural integrity of the binding is still intact. A hand coloured woodcut illustration of Hercules mounted on the verso of the second free flyleaf, some of the leaves are lightly foxed, the second avis au public has been bound before the title page of ad 3, two leaves from ad 1 have been mistakenly bound with ad 3 (but are also present in ad 1), the lower blank corner of two leaves has been torn off, lacking the title page of ad 6, the fore edge margin of ad 6 has been cut somewhat short, affecting a few letters. Otherwise in good condition. Ad 1-3: Blake, p. 13, 146, 230; NBG II, col. 455; Poggendorff I, col. 40; Quérard I, p. 51; Wellcome II, p. 41; Ad 4: Blake, p. 146; Ad 5: Blake p. 230; ad 6: not in Poggendorff; Quérard.