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| DANFRIE, Philippe
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| Declaration de l'usage du graphometre
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| Paris: chez Danfrie, 1597
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| First edition.
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| Small 8vo, 197 x 130 mm.
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| Contemporary limp vellum.
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| Printed in civilite type throughout.
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Philippe Danfrie was an engraver, printer, and inventor, best known for the invention of the graphometer, which is a surveying instrument operated on the principles of the theodelite. It became the standard surveyer's tool and remained in widespread use well into the 19th century.
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The particular charm of this book is in the fact that it is entirely the product of a single, multi-talented individual. Danfrie invented the instrument, wrote the descriptive text, drew and engraved the illustrations, designed and cut the civilite type, and printed the book himself. The type itself is notable. Civilite was a type style developed in France during the mid-sixteenth century. It was an attempt to emulate the formal handwriting style in France at that time (much as italic was a typographic emulation of Italian humanistic handwriting). Danfrie designed and cut his own version of civilite type, seen here. This is one of only a handful of technical books to be printed in any civilite typeface and one of only two books printed with this particular font.
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A figure illustrating one use of the graphometer.
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