Ri e und Beschreibung der Saltz-Cothen.

Folio (ca. 375 x 250 mm). (13) ff., 1 blank leaf. German manuscript on paper. With 10 pen-and-ink drawings in original hand colour. Contemporary boards with manuscript title label to cover. Fine German manuscript on how to increase the efficiency of German salt production. In German cities such as Halle, a major centre of the salt industry, the production of cooking salt was based essentially on the use of wells that provided a high concentration solution of brine. Extracted from the wells, the brine was boiled and refined to salt, a process carried out by specialized personnel - the "salters", who worked in small huts or cots ("Kothen" in German) located in close proximity to the wells. - Presumalby prepared by an experienced salter, the present manuscript gives detailed instructions on the efficient construction and heating of hearths and the sustainment of the required heat, as well as the correct handling of boiling pans. The text concludes with a recommendation of the highly profitable pratice of concentrating the brine using sea salt, as was common in Dutch salt production. - The charming illustrations show the interior of the cots with their various boiling and concentration pans, including diagrammatic depictions of masonry and the arrangement of pans, grids and hearths, as well as a scene of everyday life in the cot. - Engraved bookplate of the artillery school and stamp of ownership of the Hanover military library to front pastedown, the latter also to the first page. Later bookplate of the historian Hanns Freydank (1892-1971) to pastedown. Freydank is the author of numerous publications on salt production with a focus on his native Halle. - Spine and corners somewhat rubbed. Block damaged; paper slightly browned, occasional spots. A rare survival.