PEMBERTON, Henry (1694--1771)

A view of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy

London: printed by S. Palmer, 1728.
Royal 4to (sheet 470 x 610mm): A4 [a]--[c]4 d1 *A--*B4 B--3F4, 229 leaves, pp. [50] 407 [1] (last page blank). Engraved device on title, 6 headpieces, 6 initials and 5 tailpieces by J. Pine after J. Grison. Plates: 12 engraved plates: unnumbered, (bound as foldouts in the text as indicated on the plates). Leaf size and condition: 310 x 235mm, untrimmed. Title dustsoiled, minor staining in the margin of [a]4, printing flaw on T2v (no loss). Binding: Contemporary sheep-backed marbled boards, dark green morocco lettering piece. Upper joint cracked but sound, corners and spine ends worn. Provenance and annotation: References: ESTC t53471 and n64146; Babson 98; Wallis 132.
First edition, state with catchword 'upon' on 2C1 (as usual). Wallis notes the Sloane copy in the British Library with a different setting of quire 2C, and (under 132.1) the Christ's College, Cambridge copy with imprint 'by S. Palmer, for W. & J. Innys [and 11 other booksellers].
§ A celebrated work in the history of science and a monument of British book design. It had a very wide circulation among the educated rich: it must be one of the most widely held science books in English country house libraries and is today probably one of the commonest of the major Newtonian texts in the market. What makes this copy exciting is that it is entirely untrimmed and unpressed, of no small importance for the first whole book printed in a Caslon typeface. William Caslon was the first important British type-founder and the designer of the best old-face Roman, still a favourite in its modern derivatives. This book is the first appearance of Caslon's Great Primer Roman (equivalent to about 17 1/2 pt), his second Roman and 'a magnificent achievement'. Caslon's first Roman, a Pica, was used in 1725 as end notes in Bowyer's edition of Anacreon. The printer, Samuel Palmer, announced the publication of Pemberton's Newton in the Daily Journal for 3 January 1728, saying 'I hope the subscribers will pardon the Delay and the rather since I waited Half a Year for the making of a new Font of Types' (James Mosley, 'The Early Career of William Caslon', JPHS, 3 (1967) 66--81 on pp. 74 and 79). The wonderful engraved headpieces, initials and tailpieces incorporating scientific scenes, and perhaps the plates too, though they are unsigned, are by one of the leading engravers of the time, John Pine (1690--1756), friend of Hogarth and celebrated for his fully engraved Horace of 1733--37. It was Samuel Palmer, incidentally, who first employed Benjamin Franklin when he came to London in 1724. <<Dr. Pemberton studied under Boerhaave, prepared the Fifth London Pharmacopoeia and was invited by Newton to edit the third (1726) edition of the Principia. This study of Newton's philosophy is interesting as being the account of a close friend. The preface contains the author's recollections of Newton, especially in his old age. There is also a poem on Sir Isaac by Richard Glover (poet and M.P., 1712--1785) written in his 16th year; the author's introduction on Newton's method of reasoning in philosophy; and a long list of subscribers. >>Babson.

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