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Great Firsts of Science

By

HERBERT MO. EVANS

A projected quarto here prefigured for

~hc Roxburghc Q:lub of £'an ,francisco March 6, 1939

.. NICOLAUS COPERNICUS, 1473-1543. NICOLAI CO ,

PIlItNICI TOllIN6NSIS I De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. 1543. Da ....O .. VI'IO ...... ' 0..... , .... cadcftNm.lDi y;:

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Title: NICOLAI CO/PERNICI TORINENSIS / DE REVOLUTIONIBUS ORBIjUM COELESTIUM, LIBRI VI. / HABES IN HOC OPERE IAivl RE­CENS NATO,& AEDITO, / STUDIOSE LECTOR, MOTUS STELLAR­UM, TAM FIXARUM, / QUAM ERRATICARUM, CUM EX UETER­IBUS, TUM ETIA1\l / EX RECENTIBUS OBSERUATIONIBUS RESTI­TUTOS: & NO/UIS INSUPER AC ADMIRABILIBUS HYPOTHESIBUS OR/NATOS. HABES ETlAN TABULAS EXPEDITISSIMAS, EX / QUI­BUS EOSDEM AD QUODUIS TEMPUS QUAM FACILLI / ME CALCU­LARE POTERIS. IGITUR EME, LEGE, FRUERE. /

/ NORIMBERGAE APUD IOH. PETH.EIUM, / ANNO M.D. XLIII.

Collation: [i], ii, iii, iiii, [], [], a-z", A-Z.., Aa-Cc', rl. 6 unnumbered leaves, 196 numbered leaves (52 wrongly lettered 49), 1 unnumbered leaf.

Contents: [i], title-page; [i] (versoj-ii, introductory note; ii, dedication to Car­dinal Schonberg; ii (verso)-iiii, preface; [], [], index; a-z", A-Z\ Aa-Cc", text; [1. errata; [] (verso), duplicate title page.

Illustrations: Numerous text diagrams; capital guide spaces throughout.

Note: This great treatise nxbicb fully pre sented the helioc entric oien» of our planetary system, completely revolutionized astronomy. Copernicus' dissatislaction noitb Ptolemaic astronomy was o[ early date and {TOm 1513 on bis endeaoors nxere directed touiards nuttb­ematical verification of his OW11 theory . His ui eu: "JJI1S first actually formulated i11 1530 in a brief popular account circularized in manuscript (Commemariolusy. Upon the importunities of his [riends who demanded full er publication, bis assent ".vas given in 1540, and his [riend, George [oacbim Rbeticus, printed a preliminary account in the Narratio Prima (Danzig, 1540) ; this was reprinted at Basel, 1541. The complete exposition, a great classic, nuas sent to the press simultaneously with the Narratio and appeared in 1543, a few days before the deatb of Copernicus.

Principia m atbematica. 1687 PHILOSOPHIJE NATURALIS

PRINCIPIA M AT HE M A T I CA

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SIR I SAAC NEWTON, J64Z-1 7 27.

Title: PHILOSOPHIAE I NATURAL ISI PRINCIPIA I 1\1ATHEMATICA. I AUT ORE I S. l'EvVTON, TRIN. COLL. CANTAB. SOc. l\lATHESEOS I PROFESSORE LUCASIANA, & SOCIETATIS REGALIS SODALI. 1 11\1­PRIMATUR. I S. PEPYS, REG. SOc. PRAESES. I JULII 5. 1686. I LON­DINI, I JUSSU SOCIETATIS REGlAE AC TYPIS JOSEPHI STREATER. PROSTAT APU D / PLURES BIBLIOPOLAS. ANNO MDCLXXXVn.

Collation: [A]-G\ I-P, G :!, fH]3- [H ]'\ I-Z\ Aa-Kk\ LP, Kk2, [L1P-[L1 ] \ Mm­

'Zz', :;;/, Aaa-0004• 4 unnumbered leaves, 1-383, 400-510 leaves, I unnumbered

leaf.

Contents: [A ] ' , title; [AV, ded ication to Charles II, [AJ a, preface, A\ poem to Ncv,,'ton by Edmund Halley ; B-C2 definitions; C2 (verso) - E', axioms; £1

(verso) -O oo", text; 000\ errata; 0004 (verso), blank.

Illustrations: Title within a border with in a border; T folded plate between [Al' an d W; numerous text diagrams through out.

Note : First issue of tb e first edition of Newton's immortal 'Work ... perhaps tbe 1110St important nsork i111111 science to dale. T he grea t importance of the Principia resides to a large extent the fact that in it is found ( I) the first enunciation 071 a scientific basis of quantitatioe physic.11 princi ples applicable to the entire u niverse, in particular (a) tbe three "iau» of m otion." (b ) th e inverse square law of grav itat ion, ( c ) numerous math ematical consequences of (a) and (b); (2) the manner, whicb became the chief model for theoretical pbysics, of com bining induction and deduct ion to [orm 11 scientific system; (3) its unparalleled stimu­lation of scientific activ ity in general; (4) its w eal extra-scientific effec t upon human thought .711d hebtnsiour.

Issued by members of the Club.

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