Philadelphia: Published by Thomas Dobson, 1814. In two volumes. First American edition. 8vo. (iv), xlv, (iii), 401; (iv), 394 pp. From the library of United States Navy Captain James Biddle, and with his signature at top of each title-page ("James Biddle U.S. Navy"). Full contemporary brown sheepskin, rebacked to style, red morocco spine labels, stamped in gilt, boards and extremities rubbed and worn, corners worn; black speckled edges; scattered spotting and foxing to text. Shaw-Shoemaker 30738; Edelstein 10

A handsome copy of the first American edition of this classic and important treatise on colors and dyeing techniques. First published in London in 1794 as a single volume, this edition is reprinted from the second and expanded London edition of 1813. Bancroft (1745-1821), was an American born chemist and man of letters, and who served as secretary to the American Commission in Paris that sought to gain French aid in the American Revolution, and where he worked as a spy for the British.

James Biddle (1783-1848) was a United States Naval officer, remembered for helping negotiate the first treaty between the United States and China. Born in Philadelphia and educated at the University of Pennsylvania, Biddle entered the Navy in 1800 as a midshipman. A career officer, he fought against the Barbary pirates, helped enforce Jefferson's trade embargo, and then fought heroically in the War of 1812. Toward the end of his life he served as commander of the East India Squadron, when in 1845 he formalized the Treaty of Wanghia, between the U.S. and China.