drawings

Bessler created a set of illustrations and accompanying commentary describing his search for perpetual motion. This body of work is called "Maschinen Tractate".

Bessler's illustrations explore many concepts and ideas and depict mechanical, thermal, wind and fluid systems.

After selling his wheel, Bessler intended to publish his book of illustrations with the secret mechanism revealed in every detail. But the wheel was never sold and "Maschinen Tractate" appears tantalisingly incomplete.

A reproduction of Bessler's "Maschinen Tractate" is available from John Collins here. The book contains reproductions of the original illustrations and includes a translation of Bessler's accompanying hand written notes.

To order John Collins "Maschinen Tractate" book please click here.

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Bessler's hand written cover note for "Maschinen Tractate" reads:

Further demonstrations regarding the possibility and impossibility
of perpetual motion.

NB. 1st May, 1733. Due to the arrest, I burned and buried all papers that prove the possibility. However, I have left all demonstrations and experiments, since it would be difficult for anybody to see or learn anything about a perpetual motion from them or to decide whether there was any truth in them because no illustration by itself contains a description of the motion; however, taking various illustrations together and combining them with a discerning mind, it will indeed be possible to look for a movement and, finally to find one in them.

Orffyreus

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Bill McMurtry's original artistic impressions of the historical document "MT" illustrations as presented on this website are made freely available for personal research puposes only. All illustrations, text and names associated with "Maschinen Tractate" are subject to copyright protection and may not be reproduced or published without prior written permission.