79. JANTET (Xavier). Leçons élémentaires de méchanique. Dole - Lot 79

79. JANTET (Xavier). Leçons élémentaires de méchanique. Dole, Joly & Barbou, 1785. In-8, vii, [1] f. (errata), 454 p., [1] f. (priv.), pl., marbled fawn basane, smooth spine decorated (contemporary binding). First edition illustrated with 9 folded plates. Copy with a handwritten errata. Provenance: This is given to us by the accessory pasted on the back of the flyleaf for the first prize in mathematics awarded to François Xavier Grandbesançon in An XIII. Pierre Antoine François Xavier Grandbesançon, born into a wealthy family in 1786, led a remarkable career in the management of powder plants. A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, he managed several powder-mills in Europe and in Java, where he was taken prisoner by the English. On his return to France, he supervised various powder and saltpetre production facilities. He also rubbed shoulders with such notable figures as chocolate maker Menier and writer Honoré de Balzac, who drew inspiration from his adventures for a short story. Grandbesançon was awarded several distinctions, including the Légion d'Honneur, and continued to manage powder factories until his death in 1857. Binding very slightly rubbed.