Prefator (1 results)

First edition in Italian of part of de Moivre's early and important contribution to the calculus of games of chance and probability theory, one of the first instructional texts on the subject, which together with the works of Montmort and Bernoulli was one of the most important books written on the subject in the early eighteenth century. His introduction contains an overview of main concepts such as probability, conditional probability, expectation, dependent and independent events, the multiplication rule, and the binomial distribution. The translator, Roberto Gaeto, of the University of Pavia, translates the parts of de Moivre's work dealing with the application of the doctrine of chance to annuities, tontines, life expectancies and mortallity tables. Gaeta has added an introduction, notes and appendices, comparing other European writers on lifetime annuities such as Deparcieux, Kersseboom, Süssmilch and Bernoulli, with a useful bibliography of works of mortality tables and statistics (pages lix-lxviii). Two works bound in a single vol., octavo (207 x 130 mm). Printer's woodcut device on title, tables and vignettes in the text. Contemporary half mottled calf and sprinkled boards, rebacked preserving the original spine, red morocco label, sprinkled edges. Spine neatly repaired and lined where split, recased with new endpapers, board edges worn. Second work has the half title cut away. Pale damp mark to lower margin, extending into the text in places, occasional light foxing, marginal worming to last 4 leaves of the second work; good copies of two scarce works.