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Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
(SWIMMING.) Thévenot, Melchisédec. The Art of Swimming. 40 engraved plates. [22], 60, [2] pages, including final ad leaf. 8vo, contemporary sheep, cover corners worn through, rebacked; contents toned with scattered minor spotting, margins trimmed not affecting text or images, offsetting from adjacent leaves onto some plates, frontispiece and title browned and brittle with chipping along edges. London: John Lever, 1764
Second edition in English of an early manual of swimming, first published in 1696 in French and in 1699 in English. The book includes sections on the history of swimming and bathing in European and non-European societies, health benefits, various strokes, attire and paraphernalia, resuscitation of drowning victims, and the design of a school for swimming.
