In 1882, he had already published a widely recognized reference work with Victor Meyer (1848–1897), called Tables for Qualitative Analysis. But F.P. Treadwell was especially well known for his textbook of analytical chemistry. The "Treadwell" was in common use in Universities, with editions spanning up to 1949. It was translated into French, Italian, English, Serbo-Croat, and Spanish. Later editions were edited by his son W.D. Treadwell.