Enclyclopædia Britannica (page 2/3)

Front Cover of the 1770 Encylopædia Britannica

My copy is actually a fac-simile bound in full leather. Well, let’s say it’s full leather...

Plate XIX, fig. 3.—Crane Mechanism.

Another very good crane is made in the following manner. AA (fig. 3.) is a great wheel turned by men walking within it at H. On the part C, of its axle BC, the great rope D is wound as the wheel turns; and this rope draws up goods in the same way as the rope HH does in the above-mentioned crane, the gib-work here being supposed to be of the same sort. But these cranes are very dangerous to the men in the wheel; for, if any f the men should chance to fall, the burden will make the wheel run back and throw them all about within it; which [...] [more...]

Plate XV.—Anatomy.

A naked man is shown, without his skin, so that the muscles can be seen, in order to teach anatomy. [more...]

Plate XLII.—Astronomy.

The purpose of the four interwoven figures here is to explain how an eclipse of Jupiter’s satellites (or moons) works. I will scan the details on request. These are beautifully-engraved [...] [more...]

Plate XLII.—Astronomy: detail: antique star engraving

A copper-plate engraving representing a star from a diagram explaining astronomy; you can also see the full diagram. [more...]

Plate XLII.—Astronomy: detail: sun and eclipses

A diagram with the sun in the middle, complete with a face, and showing the illumination of the earth at varoius times of the year, marked by month and zodiac sign. [...]the sun, and also the full diagram. [more...]

Plate XLII.—Astronomy: detail: the face of the sun.

This diagram, taken from plate XLII on eclipses, shows the sun as an eight-pointed star with a face in the middle, including eyes, nose and mouth! (Obviously the sun does not have a beard, since the hair would burn away!) [more...]

Plate XLIII.—Astronomy.

This full-page copper plate engraving contains a number of diagrams for the article on astronomy; I will post them as separate images on request. [more...]

Plate XLIII.—Astronomy.—Fig. 1.

Figure 1.

The full plate

Plate XLIII.—Astronomy.—Fig. 2.

Figure 2, showing the Winter Solstice on December 22nd.

The full plate

Plate XLIII.—Astronomy.—Fig. 3.

This diagram shows how (and why) the moon appears to grow and shrink at different times of the month. [more...]