[Mathematics - Autograph manuscript].

Published by c, 1720

Heritage seller

Seller: Blackwell's Rare Books ABA ILAB BA, Oxford, United KingdomBlackwell's Rare Books ABA ILAB BA

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since July 8, 1998

Association member: ABAPBFAILAB

Condition: Used

£ 3,150.00

£ 45.00 shipping 
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket
Free 30-day returns

Item description from seller

single folded sheet, manuscript in English with diagrams in pen & ink, small hole through centre of both leaves, pp. 4, small 4to, modern quarter calf with marbled boards, page stub with pencil note: 'this autograph is from the Macrone & Dawson Turner Collection', very good. A scarce example of a manuscript from the renowned mathematician, Abraham de Moivre (1667-1754), who is probably most famous for his formula, linking complex numbers and trigonometry, but whose works on probability theory, notably The Doctrine of Chances, 1718, and his exploration of the Fibonacci series and the golden ratio, were fundamental to the field. Although he was admired and befriended by the great scientists of the age - Newton, Halley and Stirling - and become a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1697, he was never granted an academic post, despite the intervention on one occasion of Leibniz himself. De Moivre made his living from teaching mathematics as a private tutor, visiting pupils (reading torn-out pages of Principia Mathematica, it was said, as he walked the significant distances across London between visits) or tutoring at his regular haunt, Old Slaughter's Coffee House, where he also gambled at chess (Bellhouse, D.R. Abraham de Moivre., 2011). This manuscript, far from the theoretical heights of his lasting fame, is a touching example of his day-to-day existence: five simple lessons to a pupil on geometry: dividing a line into equal parts; finding a proportion; making an angle; finding a tangent; and dividing a circle into equal parts. The manuscript is unsigned but the characteristic handwriting closely resembles EL/M3/52 in the collection of The Royal Society.…

Seller Inventory # 72526

Bibliographic details

Title
[Mathematics - Autograph manuscript].
Author
Moivre (Abraham de)
Publisher
c
Publication year
1720
Seller catalogs
Sciences

Blackwell's Rare Books ABA ILAB BA

Oxford, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since July 8, 1998

Association member:

Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Item5 to 20 business days3 to 10 business days
First item£ 45.00£ 70.00
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Bank Draft
  • Bank Wire Transfer
  • Cash
  • Check
  • Money Order

Store description

Our premises are in the main Blackwell's bookstore, one of the largest and best known in the world, housing over 200,000 new book titles, covering every subject, disclipline and interest, as well as a large secondhand books department. The bookstore is in the centre of the city, opposite the Bodleian Library, Sheldonian Theatre, and many of the colleges and other university buildings, with on-street parking close by.

Specialty

Modern Illustrated Books, General Antiquarian, Private Press, Modern First Editions, Antiquarian English Literature, Juvenilia, Music

Association member

  • Antiquarian Booksellers' Association
  • Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association
  • International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

Waterstones Booksellers Ltd trading as Blackwell's Rare Books

203-206 Piccadilly
Westminster, United Kingdom W1J 9HD