CRAIG, John.

De Calculo Fluentium Libri Duo. Quibus Subjunguntur Libri Duo De Optica Analytica.

Numerous woodcut diagrams in the text. 4 p.l., 92 pp. 4to, 18th-cent. marbled boards (sides rubbed, well rebacked in calf, title a little browned & soiled), spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: ex Officina Pearsoniana, 1718. First edition of the third of Craig’s major books but the first in order of composition. Craig (d. 1731), a fellow of the Royal Society and a good friend of Newton, was one of the very few in Britain to realize the vast possibilities of the calculus and was the most zealous of all English mathematicians in its use. The present work, important for its advances in the calculus, is particularly interesting for the Preface in which Craig states that he showed the manuscript of the present book to Newton in 1685. Newton corroborated several objections raised by Craig to Tschirnhausen and contributed two equations of curves. Craig also provides an account of the steps that led to his interest in the fluxional calculus. Newton had a copy of this book in his library. Craig’s writings on optics (the second part of this book) have been largely ignored by historians of science. A good copy. Bookplates of Harry Arnold of Arnbarrow and Michael Fryer. ❧ D.S.B., III, pp. 458-59.

• USD 4,500.00 > другие валюты
• номер заказа: HillBibl-1262

• продавец: Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc. (USA)