Woodcut device on title, two folding printed tables, & one folding woodcut plate. 2 p.l., 306, 35, [1] pp. 4to, fine cont. vellum over boards (slightly warped). Basel: impensis Thurnisiorum, Fratrum, 1713.

First edition of “the first systematic attempt to place the theory of probability on a firm basis and is still the foundation of much modern practice in all fields where probability is concerned — insurance, statistics and mathematical heredity tables.”–Printing & the Mind of Man 179.

A very fine and large copy preserved in a box. More

“Theory of the Earth; or an Investigation of the Laws observable in the Composition, Dissolution, and Restoration of Land upon the Globe…Read March 7 and April 4 1785,” pp. 209-304 & two engraved plates, with a printed leaf of “Explanation” in Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vol. I [complete]. Engraved vignette on title, four engraved plates (two folding). xii, 100, 336, 209 pp., 1 leaf of errata. Three parts in one vol. Large 4to, cont. polished calf (joints very carefully repaired, corners a bit worn), spine gilt, red & green morocco lettering pieces on spine. Edinburgh: J. Dickson, 1788.

The first publication of the “full” text of Hutton’s epoch-making essay of the theory of the earth, illustrated with two engravings of geological specimens. This is one of the greatest works in the history of geology. Hutton makes few references in the Abstract to the evidence on which he based his theory. It is here, in this journal appearance, in which he fully presents his ideas regarding fossils and geological time. More

Folding engraved plate in Vol. IV. Five vols. Large 4to, cont. polished mottled calf (joints & a few corners carefully repaired), spines nicely gilt, red morocco lettering pieces on spines. Paris: J.B.M. Duprat & others, An VII [1798]-1825.

First edition and a complete set with all the supplements. In this monumental and fundamental astronomical work, Laplace — the “Newton of France” — codified and developed the theories and achievements of Newton, Euler, d’Alembert, and Lagrange. “Laplace maintained that while all planets revolve round the sun their eccentricities and the inclinations of their orbits to each other will always remain small... More

Nine folding tables (woodcut & letterpress), & numerous woodcut diagrams & tables in the text. 6 p.l., 139 pp., 2 blank leaves. 12mo, cont. mottled calf (very slightly rubbed), panelled in gilt. Leyden: P. Rammasen, 1628.

Third edition; this edition is much rarer than the first edition of 1617. This is the first description of a calculating machine.

"In 1617 Napier's intense concern for the practicalities of computation led him to publish another book, the Rabdologiae, which contains a number of elementary calculating devices, including the rods known as 'Napier's bones.' These rods, which in essence constitute a mechanical multiplication table, had a considerable vogue for many... More

One folding engraved plate. iv, 245, [1] pp. 8vo, cont. half-cloth & marbled boards (ends of spine almost invisibly repaired), spine gilt. Berlin: T.H. Riemann, 1827.

First edition of this pioneering work which contains one of the most important discoveries in electrical science — “Ohm’s law” — the basis of the present system of electrical measurement. Ohm discovered the unit of resistance in an electrical current.

“In the field of electrical measurement Ohm was the great pioneer...Ohm’s great contribution — ‘The Galvanic Chain Mathematically Calculated’ — was to measure the rate of current flow and the effects of resistance on the current. ‘Ohm’s law’... More

313 leaves (of 314), lacking final blank, otherwise complete, including blank leaves *1 and a1. 37 lines & headline, Roman type. Numerous initials in various sizes supplied in red and blue. 96 fine woodcut illustrations. Folio (310 x 208 mm.), cont. Italian blind-tooled brown calf over wooden boards (upper cover a little defective, crack in the wood of one board repaired), compartments of spine decorated with floral stamps, covers with floral and geometrical borders, metal bosses with engraved flowers in the corners, paper label on spine “L’Arte Militare del Ramusio.” Verona: Boninus de Boninis, 17 February 1483.

First edition in Italian and a fine and large copy of this handsomely illustrated book on the art of war which contains the earliest technical illustrations in a printed book. The first edition, issued in 1472 in Latin, contained only 95 woodcuts. More