A treatise on chemistry, written by Richard Stack (-1812), an author and a lecturer, graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and Vice President of the Royal Irish Academy. Stack dedicated his work to Robert Perceval, M.D. (1756-1839), the first professor of chemistry at the University of Dublin. Stack intended his work "to remedy [the] inconveniences" of other contemporary works on chemistry being too "learned, voluminous, and abstruse for the common class of readers."

The book is divided into five parts, each comprising of several chapters: Chemistry in General, Salts, Metals and Minerals, Vegetable, and Animal Substances. Content includes the application of chemistry to various industries such as dyeing, glassmaking, and soapmaking. The appendix mentions the research of various contemporary scientists. The volume is bound in its original half calf binding with marbled boards, gilt-ruled spine, and maroon Morocco label.

Digitized content includes the work’s front matter, dedication, table of contents, select chapters (Of Water, and Of Gold), and a large foldout table. The table, Combinations of Principles, Elements, and Compounds, lists compounds formed from various elements with various nomenclature forms.