LŒWY (Maurice) - PUISEUX (Pierre). Atlas photographique de l - Lot 18

LŒWY (Maurice) - PUISEUX (Pierre). Atlas photographique de la Lune publié par l'observatoire de Paris. Paris : Imprimerie nationale, 1896-1910. - 13 fascicles bound in one volume, in-4, 310 x 241, and one atlas, in-plano, 780 x 670: (2 ff.), 44 pp. ; (2 ff.), 64 pp. ; (2 ff.), 64 pp. ; (2 ff.), 64 pp. ; (2 ff.), 58 pp, (1 blank f.); (2 ff.), 52 pp.; (2 ff.), 44 pp.; (2 ff.), 48 pp.; (2 ff.), 56 pp.; (2 ff.), 48 pp.; (2 ff.), 46 pp., (1 blank f.); (2 ff.), 42 pp.., (1 blank); 22 pp. atlas: title, 11 plates lettered a to k, 71 plates numbered I to LXXI. Brown half-chagrin, ribbed spine, speckled edges (Text); black half-chagrin, stylized metal reinforcement at corners, ribbed spine (Atlas) (Period bindings). Rare first edition of this seminal work, which profoundly transformed scientific and astronomical knowledge at the dawn of the 20th century. At the end of the 19th century, Maurice Loewy (1833-1907) and Pierre Puiseux (1855-1928), astronomers at the Paris Observatory, embarked on a visionary project: the Photographic Atlas of the Moon. This monumental work, based on more than 6,000 images taken over 500 nights of observation, marked a turning point in the study of our natural satellite. Less than 60 years after Arago imagined the application of photography to astronomy, Loewy and Puiseux, assisted by Charles Le Morvan, produced a series of lunar photographs of unrivalled precision. Their work, carried out over almost 14 years, remained an absolute reference until the advent of space probes in the 1960s. Loewy and Puiseux's Atlas was not only a technical breakthrough, but also a seminal work in the study of the Moon. By combining scientific rigor and technological innovation, it provided lunar cartography of unprecedented accuracy, paving the way for future space exploration. Even today, it remains an exceptional testament to human ingenuity and the quest for knowledge that marked this era. The edition consists of a text volume comprising 13 fascicles published between 1896 and 1910. The first 12 contain the "Études sur la topographie et la constitution de l'écorce lunaire", as well as descriptions and explanations of the plates. The last forms the "General Index of Lunar Formations Represented or Studied in this Work". Each fascicule, with the exception of the first and last, has a separate pagination, preceded by a letter of the alphabet from B to L. The Lunar Atlas comprises 83 plates mounted on tabs. The first twelve, designated a to l, are divided as follows: the first eleven reproduce direct images of the Moon, captured at the focus of the telescope, while the twelfth (plate l) presents the assembly table, placed here at the head of the volume. The photographic proofs are faithful prints of the original glass plates, obtained using the large angled equatorial. Each of these first eleven photographs, measuring 20 x 13.5 cm, is printed on fine wove or China paper (252 x 180 mm), glued to the center of a 78 x 59 cm broadsheet. In addition to the image, the sheet bears the title, caption and date of shooting. The plates reproduced correspond to the following nights: February 13, 1894 (plate a), February 23, 1896 (plate b), March 7, 1897 (plate c), September 19, 1894 (plate d), April 26, 1898 (plate e), October 25, 1899 (plate f), November 14, 1899 (plate g), October 12, 1900 (plate h), August 27, 1902 (plate i), September 2, 1898 (plate j) and September 29, 1896 (plate k). The atlas concludes with 71 large photogravures, based on glass enlargements of the preceding plates. Each one, in an imposing format of 57.5 x 47.5 cm, is protected by a captioned serpente on which the drawings are reproduced by transparency, along with scientific annotations. To our knowledge, this is the first absolutely complete copy to go on sale in several decades. Rubbing and wear to bindings, tape at top of spine and part of first cover of text volume. Repaired tear in the margin of plate i, with no damage to the photograph. A few tears, not serious, to some serpents. Numerous tears to atlas endpapers.