Six folding engraved plates. lxviii, 260 pp.; vi, 290 pp.; xlviii, 263 pp. Three vols. 4to, cont. mottled calf (lower cover of Vol. II a little wormed), spines gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Paris: David, 1754-54-56.

First edition. “Devoted primarily to the motion of the moon (Volume II included a new set of lunar tables), it was written at least partially to guard d’Alembert's claims to originality against those of Clairaut. As was so often the case, d’Alembert's method was mathematically more sound, but Clairaut’s method was more easily used by astronomers.”–D.S.B., I, p. 114. More

Woodcut diagrams in the text. 4 p.l. (final leaf a blank), 134 pp. Small 4to, cont. vellum over boards. Venice: B. Bruni, 1667. [bound with]: —. Seconde Considerationi sopra la Forza dell’Argomento Fisicomattematico…contra il Moto Diurno della Terra… Woodcut diagrams in the text. 4 p.l., 111 pp. Small 4to. Padua: M. Bolzetta de Cadorini, 1668. [bound with]: —. Terze considerationi sopra Una Lettera del…Gio: Alfonso Borelli…scritta da Questi in replica di alcune Dottrine incidentemente tocche… Woodcut diagrams in the text. 4 p.l., 46 pp. Small 4to. Venice: Heirs of Leni, 1668. [bound with]: —... More

More

16 p.l., 74 leaves. Folio, later vellum-backed boards (foot of spine defective, occasional light soiling & dampstaining). Basel: H. Petri, 1529.

First edition of the two texts together. The De Temporum Ratione is a significant book in several ways. Most notably, “this book helped to establish the custom of counting years from the birth of Christ. When we say that Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926 (not ‘in the 16th year of the reign of George V,’ or ‘in the year 2678 after the foundation of Rome,’ or in the ‘2nd year of the 481st Olympiad’), we are indebted to the Venerable... More

One folding engraved plate. xxiii pp. Large 4to, attractive modern decorated paper over semi-stiff boards. Rome: A. de Rubeis, [1739].

First edition of one of Boscovich’s first publications. “Early in his career his interest was drawn to the problem of the size and shape of the earth, an issue intensively discussed in the first half of the eighteenth century, since its resolution was thought to be crucial in an eventual choice between a Cartesian cosmology of vortices, which predicted an earth slightly elongated at the poles, and a Newtonian one of inertial motion under attractive forces, in which case the globe... More

Large woodcut printer’s device on each title & numerous woodcuts & illus. and printed tables in the text. 470, [7] pp., one blank leaf; 217, [1] pp., two leaves of dedication. Two parts in one vol. Large 4to, cont. binding from the south of France of red morocco (rather browned throughout as always with this book due to the quality of the paper, some minor worming towards end touching a few letters & carefully repaired), arms in gilt on covers of François de Rignac (1580-1663; see below), roulette border in gilt round sides, spine gilt. Frankfurt: J.G. Schönwetter, 1648.

First edition of this collection of writings on the famous new star of 1572-74 (first part) and the equally famous comet of 1577 (second part); this edition, containing two of Tycho’s most important works, is rare on the market. It was his observations of these two astronomical phenomena — here printed — that compelled Tycho to abandon the Aristotelian theory of the universe and replace it with his own geoheliocentric system. This was an enormously important step in the acceptance of the Copernican doctrine. More

Six folding engraved plates. Title in red & black. 1 p.l., 308 pp. 8vo, cont. mottled sheep, flat spine nicely gilt, contrasting leather lettering piece on spine. Lausanne & Geneva: M.M. Bousquet, 1744.

First edition of this important book in which Cheseaux (1718-51), grandson of Crouzas and a fellow the Royal Society of London, first stated what was to become known as “the paradox of Cheseaux”: “With an infinite and uniform distribution of stars throughout space, the night sky should shine with a brightness corresponding to their average surface brightness.” A number of notable astronomers have struggled with this problem, including Halley, Olbers... More

Twelve folding engraved plates. 1 p.l., 300 pp.; 1 p.l., 166 pp.; 1 p.l., 165 pp. Three vols. in one. 4to, cont. sheep-backed mottled boards (minor rubbing, some foxing as is usual with this book). Berlin: A. Haude & J.C. Spener, 1746-50-51.

First edition of one of Euler’s scarcer works; this collection contains separate monographs on astronomy, optics, magnetism, electricity, mathematics, and physics and includes several of Euler’s most important and fundamental works.

Vol. I deals mostly with astronomy and optics. It is valuable for Euler’s tables of the sun and moon and for his discussion of the problem of... More

Each title within the same architectural woodcut border, two folding woodcut plates in the second part (the 2nd plate is numbered p. 33), & numerous woodcuts in the text of geometrical & surveying problems. 8 p.l., 88 pp.; 2 p.l., 33 pp. Two parts in two vols. Small 4to, modern vellum-backed paste-paper boards. Nuremberg: S. Halbmayer, colophon dated “1626.”

First edition, and complete with both parts, of this posthumously published work. Galgemair (1564-1619), who had been a student of both Apian and Mästlin at Tübingen, wrote a series of books on scientific instruments.

The first part of this book describes the precursor to the sector and proportional compass that is today known as the reduction compass; a full-page woodcut of the instrument appears on A2r. There are 100 examples of the uses of the instrument, most with illustrations. The first examples provide geometric solutions to problems of a more abstract nature, while the latter address practical problems, such as how much gold foil a goldsmith needs to cover a round roof at the top of a tower, heights and distances of buildings, etc. The uses for the architect and cartographer are obvious. More

Four folding plates (three are engraved & the moon map is lithographed). xxiii, 446 pp., 1 leaf of errata. 8vo, cont. slick boards. Munich: I.J. Lentner, 1812.

First edition of this varied and interesting book, reflecting the author’s wide-ranging interests. Gruithuisen (1774-1852), studied philosophy, medicine, and natural history, and was first appointed professor of medicine at the University of Munich and was later made professor of astronomy at the same institution. Gruithuisen wrote on many subjects and his works are well-known for their numerous new observations and thoughts.

The present work contains chapters on physiology, electricity, geology, optics, and astronomy. In this book, the author describes his discovery that light comes out of the eyes of animals (see Gorin, History of Ophthalmology, p. 97). More

Many fine full-page woodcuts. 56; 51; 42 folding leaves. Three vols. Large 4to (337 x 260 mm.), orig. yellow wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers (labels a bit frayed), new stitching (a little loose). [China]: from title-page in trans.: “woodblocks owned by Yi xue xuan, 1801.”

An important and uncommon large-format edition of the “first of all Chinese encyclopaedias, containing so much botanical and zoological terminology.”–Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Vol. 6, Part 1: Botany, p. 191. This edition of the Er Ya contains the enlargements and commentary of Guo Pu (276-324), considered “the greatest commentator of the Erh Ya” (Needham, p. 188).

Guo, Chinese historian, poet, and writer, is best known as one of China’s foremost commentators of ancient texts and was a notable natural historian. Considered the most learned man of his age, he was also the first to define feng shui. Today, his edition of the Er Ya is considered to be authoritative and definitive, and without his glosses and commentaries, large portions of this text would be unintelligible. More

Circular silver photographic print, 92 mm. in diameter, mounted on paper incorporating a printed title and descriptive letterpress dated August 1890 with the signatures of two of Herschel’s sons, mounted on card. Some small areas of abrasions to the paper surface. In the original frame, by Ryman & Co. of Oxford, made from the rungs of the ladder to the telescope. With a fragment of an original (?) printed descriptive notice on the back.

This is the earliest photograph of a scientific instrument and the first photograph deliberately taken to record an object prior to its disappearance (the earliest “record” photograph). It is... More