The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Translated into English by Andrew Motte. To which are added, Newton's System of the World; A Short Comment on, and Defence of, The Principia, by William Emerson; with the laws of the moon's motion According to Gravity, by John Machin. A new Edition, (with the life of the author; and a portrait, taken from the bust in the royal observatory at Greenwich) carefully revised and corrected by William Davis.

NEWTON, Isaac.

Published by London: Printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones; and Davis and Dickson, 1819

About this Item

A handsomely bound edition, bringing together Newton's masterpiece with several works refining Newtonian theory and an early draft of the Principia itself. This translation of the Principia, together with the Laws of the Moon's Motion by John Machin (c. 1686-1751), is drawn from the first edition in English, published in 1729. William Davis (1771-1807) originally brought out the three-volume edition in 1803, revising and extending Motte's translation to cover the remaining third of Newton's text. This is thus only the second edition of a complete translation of the Principia into English. No further edition was published until the "modernized" version brought out by the University of California Press in 1934, and no entirely new translation was made until 1999. This edition pairs these works with the Short Comment on, and Defence of, The Principia (1770), by William Emerson (1701-1782), and Newton's own System of the World (written 1685). By the turn of the 19th century, the Principia's theory of gravity had become widely accepted in scientific circles, and Davis's edition "made this available to a number of generations of nineteenth-century students" (ODNB). Babson 22; Grey 25; Wallis 25. 3 vols, octavo (212 x 127 mm). Engraved portrait frontispiece and 56 plates, 8 of which folding. Extensive tables and formulae in the text. Contemporary calf, spines lettered, decorated, and ruled in gilt, and with red and black morocco labels, covers panelled in blind, light brown coated endpapers, edges sprinkled brown. Spine ends restored. Light bumping and wear, minor browning and offsetting to contents: a very good copy.

Seller Inventory # 183664

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Translated into English by Andrew Motte. To which are added, Newton's System of the World; A Short Comment on, and Defence of, The Principia, by William Emerson; with the laws of the moon's motion According to Gravity, by John Machin. A new Edition, (with the life of the author; and a portrait, taken from the bust in the royal observatory at Greenwich) carefully revised and corrected by William Davis.
• Publisher: London: Printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones; and Davis and Dickson, 1819