Le Operazioni del Compasso Geometrico et Militare: con le annotazioni di Mattia Bernaggieri

Galileo

Published by Francesco Agnelli, 1741

About this Item

"The most useful mathematical instrument of its period." Unsurpassed as a calculating devise until the 19 C slide rule, Galileo's Compasso Geometrico et Militare set forth his unqualified claim as the sole inventor of the "geometrical and military compass," a calculating and observation device that he had begun manufacturing in 1597. His original pamphlet (1606) is the first published work on an analogue calculator. (It fetches more than half a million when it's rarely available.) Wildly attractive to imitators, Galileo deliberately omitted any illustration of the compass in his treatise most likely as a deterrent to piracy. This celebrated 1741 edition, with its singular folding copper-engraved plate, woodcut illustrations and diagrams, numbers among the finest illustrations of Galileo's masterpiece. Bound in later morocco-backed boards with a closed tear and some tiny worm holes, still Nihil Obstat. The copper-engraved foldout is unparalleled. Book #vC2344. $5000. We specialize in Rare Ayn Rand, history, and science.

Seller Inventory # vC2344

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Le Operazioni del Compasso Geometrico et Militare: con le annotazioni di Mattia Bernaggieri
• Publisher: Francesco Agnelli
• Publication Date: 1741
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Science and Medicine