May 17, 2010

France, 1815/6, 1819 & 1822: Keep the Textbook Current ... with 2 year old prices

The earlier 1813/14 Edition of this famous chemistry textbook did not record Platinum prices.  Most glaringly, a typo ("1215" = 1815) was reproduced in several editions.  So was the 1821 data just reprinted & erroneous? 

The 'new price' cited in the 1824 edition (presumed 1-2 years earlier) corresponds neatly & exactly to von Humboldt's very specific Platinum Price for 1822.  The 1824 edition 'price correction' was likewise soon outdated and repeated in other later editions.

An 1828 dentistry textbook recorded more accurate price moves, but subsequent editions likewise failed to update or correctly date its data.

Sept.1815: 1 Ozt. Platinum (Paris: Semi-Mfg, Trade) = Fr 22.88 (USD$ 5.69

c.1816:

1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Refined) = Fr 18.30 
1816: 1 Troy Oz. Platinum (Semi-Mfg) = Fr 15.25

Citation: Traité de chimie élémentaire, théorique et pratique, 1 By L. J. Thenard (1817), p.320

Citation: Traité de chimie élémentaire, théorique et pratique, 1 By L. J. Thenard (1821), p.342


Citation: Traité de chimie élémentaire, théorique et pratique, 1 By L. J. Thenard (1824), p.380

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