On the Syllogism and Other Logical Writings

First UK edition of the first collected printing of Augustus De Morgan’s groundbreaking contributions to symbolic and mathematical logic. This scarce 1966 volume, issued by Routledge & Kegan Paul as part of the highly regarded “Rare Masterpieces of Philosophy and Science” series (edited by Dr. W. Stark), assembles for the very first time De Morgan’s five celebrated memoirs “On the Syllogism” together with his Syllabus of a Proposed System of Logic (1860), related papers from the English Cyclopaedia, and an unpublished 1868 appendix. Edited with a substantial new 31-page introduction, select bibliography, editorial notes, and indices by Peter Heath (then Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia). Augustus De Morgan (1806–1871), born in Madura, India, to British parents, was one of the true founders of modern symbolic logic. He served as the first Professor of Mathematics at University College London (1828–1866) and was a prolific writer on mathematics, probability, actuarial science, and the history of mathematics. While best remembered today for De Morgan’s Laws, his deeper legacy lies in his revolutionary expansion of Aristotelian syllogistic logic. Between 1846 and 1863 he published five major memoirs in the Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society that introduced symbolic notation, quantified predicates, the logic of relations, and a critique of traditional Aristotelian forms. These papers, long scattered in inaccessible periodicals, are here presented together for the first time, filling a major gap in the history of logic. De Morgan’s work directly influenced George Boole and laid essential groundwork for 20th-century mathematical logic. Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Limited, Frome and London. Copyright © Routledge and Kegan Paul Limited 1966. Price on publication was 60s. net. Series: Rare Masterpieces of Philosophy and Science (edited by Dr. W. Stark). Binding & Size: Pale blue/gray cloth boards with maroon spine label (series style). Yellow dust jacket featuring the distinctive ornate black-and-white cartouche/scroll design with “Rare Masterpieces of Philosophy and Science” branding. 8vo (23 cm). xxxi + 355 pp. Condition: Book: Near Fine / Very Good+ Dust Jacket: Very Good+Physical condition of this specific copy: The pale blue/gray cloth boards are clean and bright with only the faintest shelf rubbing at the extremities and a tiny bump to the lower front inner corner. The maroon spine label is intact and unfaded. Binding is tight and square; hinges are perfect with no cracking. Text block is crisp, fresh, and free of foxing, browning, or annotations. All pages are exceptionally clean. The front free endpaper carries a neat contemporary ownership inscription in blue ballpoint: “Terence Paul Smith / September 1972”. This copy previously belonged to Terence Paul Smith, the British historian (specialist in medieval architecture and building materials, author of key works such as The Medieval Brickmaking Industry in England 1400–1450 and studies on early English brickwork published in the British Archaeological Reports series). A nice provenance touch with no other markings or bookplates. The original yellow series dust jacket is bright and complete, showing only light handling wear: a couple of tiny nicks at the head of the spine and a very faint crease along the rear top edge. Colours remain vivid; the ornate cartouche design on the front panel and spine is sharp. A beautiful, collector-grade example of this important first edition. De Morgan’s collected syllogism papers are foundational texts in the history of logic and are increasingly difficult to find in the original 1966 Routledge issue with the iconic yellow “Rare Masterpieces” dust jacket intact. This copy is ready for any serious logic, philosophy, or history-of-mathematics collection. …