CHAUVIN (René). Construction of the Jonage canal. Travaux - Installations hydrauliques et électriques. Paris, Liège: Librairie Polytechnique Ch. Beranger, 1902. - 2 volumes in-4, jansenist burgundy morocco, ribbed spine, gilded fillets and roulette inside, blue morocco lining decorated with gilded fillets and motifs, "Émile Loubet président de la république" in gilded letters in the center of the first lining, blue morocco endpapers decorated with 3 gilded fillets, double endpapers, gilded head, untrimmed, cover preserved, case (Lucien Magnin). First edition of engineer René Chauvin's monograph on the construction of the Jonage canal - a major diversion of the Rhône, built to supply power to the Cusset hydroelectric plant in Villeurbanne and ensure the river's navigability upstream of Lyon. The canal rises at Jons (near Jonage) and ends at the Grand Camp de Lyon. The waterfall is at Cusset, between the communes of Villeurbanne and Vaulx-en-Velin. With an effective output of 12,000 horsepower, it supplied power to Lyon and the surrounding area via an electrical grid. The original idea was the brainchild of J. Raclet, the Lyonnais engineer behind the state-approved project. Other key figures included J.-A. Henry, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Société lyonnaise des forces motrices du Rhône, and F. Jacquier père, principal founder of the syndicat d'études. The final projects were carried out under the direction of A. Gotteland, ingénieur en chef des Ponts et Chaussées, with René Chauvin and his team as collaborators (1894-1899) and successors (1899-1902). The work is divided into 2 volumes. The first details the three technical aspects of the project: the construction of the canal, the hydraulic installation of the plant, and the electrical production and distribution system. It includes several diagrams in the text, an out-of-text facsimile of the commemorative plaque unveiled on April 14, 1897, and 7 plates featuring photographic views of the canal and machinery. The second volume is the atlas, with 55 beautiful double-page or fold-out plates, featuring plans, sections, profiles, etc., based on drawings by J. Vérot. A PRECIOUS JAPANESE COPY, SPECIALLY PRINTED FOR ÉMILE LOUBET (1838-1929), PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC. It is preserved in a triple binding by Lucien Magnin, specially executed for the president, with his name and quality gilded on the first linings. Dirt on boards and linings, very damaged slipcase. Some scattered foxing in the atlas.