The Builder’s Jewel – Langley – 1808 | 100 Engraved Plates, Architecture & Construction

The Builder’s Jewel: or, The Youth’s Instructor and Workman’s Remembrancer by Batty and Thomas Langley is a rare, compact architecture manual. This book describes 17^th and 18^th-century design published specifically for builders and craftsmen describing geometric and proportional principles used in classical construction. The work focuses on the five orders of columns, the proportions of doors and windows, and the execution of mouldings, cornices, and paneling. The volume also contains instructions on the framing of trusses, girders, and roofs, and concludes with guidance on domes including that of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. This 1808 edition includes an architecture dictionary along with 100 engraved plates.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Builder’s Jewel: or, The Youth’s Instructor and Workman’s Remembrancer. Explaining Short and Easy Rules for Drawing and Working
• Author(s): Batty Langley; Thomas Langley
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: London: Printed for John Ruthven
• Edition: 1808 Edition
• Format: (16mo), single volume
• Binding: Leather spine and corners with marbled boards
• Size:  5.75 in x 4.75 in (14.6 cm x 12.1 cm)
• Collation: 62 pages
• Illustrations: 100 engraved plates including frontispiece
• Contents Include:
  • Five Orders of Columns
  • Rules for Doors, Windows, and Cornices
  • Mouldings and Paneling
  • Framing and Trusses
  • Domes including St Paul’s Cathedral
  • A Dictionary of Terms Used in Architecture
• Provenance: provenance
• Reference(s): references

Condition:

Very Good. Bound in leather with marbled boards. Mild rubbing to corners and edges. Binding secure. Light toning consistent with age. Plates remain complete, clean, and sharply printed.

Why Collect This?

• Georgian architectural design reference
• Complete with one hundred engraved instructional plates
• Features proportional studies of St Paul’s Cathedral

Item Number: # 29461