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Charles KING

A memoir of the construction, cost, and capacity of the Croton Acqueduct, compiled from official documents: together with an account of the civic celebration of the Fourteenth October, 1842, on occasion of the completion of the great work

By Charles King, New-York 1843, In-4 (23x28,2cm), relié.

A memoir of the construction, cost, and capacity of the Croton Acqueduct, compiled from official documents: together with an account of the civic celebration of the Fourteenth October, 1842, on occasion of the completion of the great work


By Charles King | New York 1843 | 23 x 28.2 cm | publisher's binding
The first edition, rare, view of the aqueduct as frontispiece.
Publisher's luxury binding in black morocco-effect shagreen, spine richly decorated with garlands and interlacing mirrored lines. Title and date gilt. Boards heavily decorated with a complex mirrored scheme. Frieze to inside of pastedowns. Spine with some discoloration. Head- and tail-pieces, joints rubbed. A few scratches to boardss, but despite some flaws a fine copy in a richly decorated publisher's binding, fresh. Ex-libris of Michel Chevalier to inside upper cover, an economist from the school of Saint-Simon and author of Lettres sur l'Amérique du Nord, published in 1836.
A work celebrating the opening of the biggest acqueduct ever constructed in the United States at the time, stretching over 66km and providing water for the city of New York.
In order to supply the water needs of New York, whose population kept growing, the decision was made to build an aqueduct bringing water from the Catskill mountains (and the Croton river) to the reservoir between 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. The inauguration of the Croton aqueduct was celebrated with great pomp in 1842 and included the publication of this prestigious work, supported by the 'Common Council' of New York. The aqueduct significantly improved the hygiene conditions of New York households and saw a major extension of New York's sewarage.
The account of the construction here is preceded by an essay on aqueducts and followed by a record of the official opening celebrations.

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