Milestones of Science Books

EUCLID; SCARBURGH, Charles, Sir.

The English Euclide.

Oxford: Printed at the Theater, 1705.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003735

Folio (341 x 223 mm). [12], 282 pp., including half-title, title with engraved vignette of the Sheldonian theater, final blank leaf Qq4, numerous woodcut and typographic text diagrams throughout. Signatures: pi² a-b² A-G² H-Z⁴ Aa-Qq⁴. Contemporary Cambridge-style speckled calf, spine with 6 raised bands richly gilt in compartments and with gilt-lettered red morocco label in second compartment, red-sprinkled edges, original endpapers (boards rubbed and scratched, joints partially split but cords sound, wear to extremities, corners bumped). Light pale dampstaining to first 4 leaves, leaf a2 of prelims with paper repair of tears (without loss), very minor occasional spotting, generally quite crisp and clean throughout. Provenance: Sir William Beauchamp Proctor* (his armorial bookplate with motto "tria juncta in uno" to front pastedown). ----

FIRST EDITION of Scarburgh's translation of Euclide, published from his manuscript by his son. Physician and mathematician Sir Charles Scarburgh was an original fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn described his library as "the very best collection, especially of mathematical books, that was, I believe, in Europe."
*Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, 1st Baronet (1722-1773) was an English politician who served as a member of Parliament from Middlesex from 1747 to 1768. He was the first of the Proctor-Beauchamp baronets. References: Wallis, British Euclids, p.5. - Visit our website to see more images!

Price: 3,800 €  *  convert currency