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One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts: Collected from the Practice of the Best Artists and Containing an Account of the Various Methods
One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts: Collected from the Practice of the Best Artists and Containing an Account of the Various Methods
One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts: Collected from the Practice of the Best Artists and Containing an Account of the Various Methods
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One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts: Collected from the Practice of the Best Artists and Containing an Account of the Various Methods

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Originally published in London in 1775, One Thousand Valuable Secrets was Americanized and published in Philadelphia in 1795 in an effort to help the newly established United States become self-sufficient from Europe. As stated in the preface, the purpose of the American edition was to “promote industry and stimulate genius” and will hopefully have been “received as an acceptable contribution.” Covering everything from engraving, “break[ing] an iron bar as big as the arm,” and making varnishes to imitating precious stones, preparing dyes, gilding, brewing, cooking, and creating molds, One Thousand Valuable Secrets “will be equally profitable to every reader, who wishes to be acquainted with a number of curious and useful receipts, applicable to the common occasions of life.” With its one thousand different instructions for practical and helpful arts, this weighty tome has both cultural significance in the information it provides and historical significance in its purpose of helping the United States become truly independent in its economy and culture.    This edition of One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the society is a research library documenting the lives of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection comprises approximately 1,100 volumes.     
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 16, 2013
ISBN9781449431891
One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts: Collected from the Practice of the Best Artists and Containing an Account of the Various Methods

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    One Thousand Valuable Secrets, in the Elegant and Useful Arts - American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection

    THE PREFACE,

    To the First American Edition.

    AT a period, when the United States of America are advancing rapidly in the career of improvement, and her citizens afford such ample encouragement to all the arts, that meliorate and embellish life, every attempt to add to the general stock in this way will, doubtless, meet with that share of attention, which it deserves. It is on this presumption only that the following pages are offered to the public inspection;—and the Editors are happy in believing that a work, like this, calculated to promote industry and stimulate genius, will be received as an acceptable contribution.

    Although the useful and necessary arts and manufactures, which have mostly hitherto employed the industrious citizens of America, have acquired a degree of perfection, which rivals the productions of Europe, those, which are distinguished by elegance and refinement are but little known, or at best in their infancy. We are still indebted to the work shops of other nations for the greater part of the finer articles we consume. But as a taste of this kind is daily spreading among us, and as wealth which affords the means of gratification, is likewise increasing, it will be sound policy, as well as good œconomy to produce all that we can among ourselves, and no longer to remain tributary to foreign markets. This will be the surest means of establishing our independance on the firmest basis.

    Whilst the inhabitants of Europe are distracted by the din of arms, and their principal employment is to contrive the most expeditious means of destroying one another, let the happy citizens of these infant States turn their attention to the useful and elegant arts of peace;let them avail themselves of the discoveries of those ancient nations in the happier years that are past; until we no longer stand in need of their supplies, or remain exposed to the fluctuations of their fortune.

    The work now offered to the public is well calculated to promote this beneficial purpose, being a large and various collection of important secrets in the finer arts and trades; secrets which have resulted from repeated experiments made by the first artists in England, France, Italy and Germany, and which open an extensive field for the exercise American ingenuity and improvement.

    The Art of engraving, to which we are indebted for so many elegant copies of the finest works of genius, and which is in it’s infant state here, will derive great advantage by a due observation of the directions, and receipts contained in this volume.

    The various combinations and composition of metals; the art of varnishing; of making mastichs and cements; curiosities in glass and precious stones; the art of mixing colours for painting; of gilding; of dying wood, bones, ivory, &c. and the various methods of casting in moulds, explained in these sheets, will conduce greatly to facilitate the progress of these ingenious arts in the United States of America.

    Besides these principal articles there are many other matters in this collection that are not confined to the use of the artist, but will be equally profitable to every reader, who wishes to be acquainted with a number of curious and useful receipts, applicable to the common occasions of life.

    To render this work more easy to be understood, and of course to extend its utility, all the receipts are rendered as free as possible of that technical obscurity, which is peculiar to the arts, and which makes subjects of this kind disgusting to common readers.

    CONTENTS.

    CHAP. I.

    Of the Art of Engraving.

    CHAP. II.

    Of Metals.

    CHAP. III.

    Of the composition of varnishes.

    CHAP. IV.

    Of Mastichs, Cements, Sealing-wax, &c. &c.

    CHAP. V.

    Of the Art of Glass Manufactory, and the making compositions to imitate Precious Stones, commonly known, in this country, by the name of French Paste.

    CHAP VI.

    Concerning Colors and Painting.

    § I. To paint in varnish on wood. (Useful to Carriage Painters.)

    § II. To Paint on Paper.

    § III. Composition for Limners.

    § IV. To make transparent colors.

    § V. Composition of colors, to dye skins or gloves.

    § VI. To color, or varnish copperplate Prints.

    § VII. For painting on Glass.

    § VIII. Preparations of colors of all sorts, for oil, water, and crayons.

    § IX. Preparation of the lapis lazuli to make ultramarine.

    CHAP. VII.

    Relative to the Art of Gilding.

    CHAP. VIII.

    The Art of Dying Woods, Bones, &c.

    CHAP. IX.

    Of the Art of Casting in Moulds

    CHAP. X.

    Of Making curious and useful sorts of Ink.

    CHAP XI

    Relative to Wine.

    CHAP. XII.

    Concerning the Composition of Vinegars.

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