A Description of the Admirable Table of Logarithmes (7 results)

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. John Napier published his treatise on the discovery of logarithms in 1614. It was written in Latin, the scholarly language of his day, under the title Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio. The importance of the work was quickly perceived and an English language translation by Edward Wright followed two years later, with the title A Description of the Admirable Table of Logarithmes. A further English edition followed in 1618. It is said that this book freed the world from a logjam of calculations. John Napier spent more than twenty years working alone on his system of logarithms, during a time when the multiplication and division of large numbers, as well as the finding of square roots, was considered to be extremely difficult. Because of his discovery of logarithms, these tedious mathematical operations could be replaced by the much easier processes of simple addition, subtraction and division by two. Never again would astronomers, architects, merchants and navigators become bogged down with calculations that were simply too difficult or time consuming to carry out. Seeking a name for his discovery, Napier turned to Greek, coining the word Logarithm from logos (Greek for ratio or reckoning) and arithmos (Greek for number). Johannes Kepler, the imperial mathematician and astronomer at Prague, was one of the first to realize the enormous importance of Naperian logarithms. Initially indifferent, his attitude was quickly changed to one of great enthusiasm when he saw that tables of logarithms could considerably ease the burden of difficult astronomical calculations. The French mathematician and astronomer Pierre Simon Laplace said that logarithms, '.by shortening the labours, doubled the life of the astronomer.' At a congress held in Edinburgh to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the publication of this book, it was remarked that '.no previous work had led up to it; nothing had foreshadowed it or heralded its arrival. It stands isolated, breaking upon human thought abruptly, without borrowing from the works of other intellects or following known lines of mathematical thought.' Thus has posterity judged the worth of John Napier, Baron of Merchiston, and his logarithms. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. John Napier published his treatise on the discovery of logarithms in 1614. It was written in Latin, the scholarly language of his day, under the title Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio. The importance of the work was quickly perceived and an English language translation by Edward Wright followed two years later, with the title A Description of the Admirable Table of Logarithmes. A further English edition followed in 1618. It is said that this book freed the world from a logjam of calculations. John Napier spent more than twenty years working alone on his system of logarithms, during a time when the multiplication and division of large numbers, as well as the finding of square roots, was considered to be extremely difficult. Because of his discovery of logarithms, these tedious mathematical operations could be replaced by the much easier processes of simple addition, subtraction and division by two. Never again would astronomers, architects, merchants and navigators become bogged down with calculations that were simply too difficult or time consuming to carry out. Seeking a name for his discovery, Napier turned to Greek, coining the word Logarithm from logos (Greek for ratio or reckoning) and arithmos (Greek for number). Johannes Kepler, the imperial mathematician and astronomer at Prague, was one of the first to realize the enormous importance of Naperian logarithms. Initially indifferent, his attitude was quickly changed to one of great enthusiasm when he saw that tables of logarithms could considerably ease the burden of difficult astronomical calculations. The French mathematician and astronomer Pierre Simon Laplace said that logarithms, '.by shortening the labours, doubled the life of the astronomer.' At a congress held in Edinburgh to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the publication of this book, it was remarked that '.no previous work had led up to it; nothing had foreshadowed it or heralded its arrival. It stands isolated, breaking upon human thought abruptly, without borrowing from the works of other intellects or following known lines of mathematical thought.' Thus has posterity judged the worth of John Napier, Baron of Merchiston, and his logarithms. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Condition: New. Print on Demand.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 12mo. pp. [iv], 16, [xxii], 89, [lxxxii], 6, [iv], 8. A11 (A1, A11 blank) A10 (A1 blank) B-H12 I8 K2. (E10 and E11 misbound in K) 1 folding engraved plate. Floriated and historiated woodcut initials, typographical headpieces, numerous woodcut text diagrams, one full page, "S. P Rigaud Jan. 23 1819" at head of fly bibliographical note in C19th hand below, contemporary note "Wednesday and Saturdays, alle at the White Bear below St. Brides church" on fly recto, early autographs of "Jo. Hallywell", "Mr Bourchier Attorney" and "Lyete at Mr Treedlers house" on verso, stamp of the Radcliffe Observatory Oxford on pastedown, book-label of Erwin Tomash below. Light age yellowing. A very good copy, crisp and clean, in contemporary English calf, covers bordered with a double blind rule, upper joint cracked at head, head chipped, spine a little rubbed, two corners worn. Exceptionally rare and important work, the second edition of Edward Wrights translation into English of Napier's seminal work on logarithms the Mirifici logarithmorum canonis descriptio. In this edition the original 1616 title has been removed and replaced with a new gathering which includes all the new material for this edition a new title and an appendix of 8 leaves, all of which are placed at the beginning. Edward Wright was famous for his skill at navigation. He wrote Certaine errors in navigation in 1599 and was for a time a mathematical lecturer in London (a successor to Thomas Hood's lecturers just prior to the establishment of Gresham College). Wright was a friend of Henry Briggs, and it was through this connection that he first learned of Napier's logarithms. After Wright translated Napier's Descriptio, he sent the translation to Napier for approval. Napier endorsed Wright's work, but before it could be published, Wright died. Wright's son, Samuel, then assumed responsibility. It was he who wrote the dedication to the East India Company (which had supported Edward's mathematical work), but he, too, died before the work was through the press. It fell to Henry Briggs to complete the task. Briggs added a Preface to the Reader and a final short section describing an aid for finding the proportional parts needed to determine logarithms for numbers not in the table. What Briggs called an Instrumental Table is neither an instrument nor a table but rather a folding plate that today we would simply call a nomogram. Some copies of this edition include a sixteen-page appendix by William Oughtred not present here. John Napier was born into a prominent family of Scottish lairds. Little is known about his childhood and youth; he enrolled at St. Andrews University at the age of thirteen, but there is no record that he ever graduated. Napier later wrote that his fervent interest in theology was kindled at St. Andrews. It is probable that he left to study in Europe, and it must have been there that he acquired his knowledge of higher mathematics and his taste for classical literature. In 1572, just about the time of his marriage, Napier succeeded to the family estates. When time permitted from their daily running, he played an active role in the Scottish Protestant reform movement. What time he had left he used to study mathematics. The first edition in Latin was published in 1614 and is one of the most influential mathematical books ever published. It introduced the world to the concept of logarithms and their use. By simplifying arduous calculation, that is, by reducing multiplication and division to addition and subtraction, logarithms became the fundamental principle behind most of the methods of, and aides to, computation prior to the invention of the electronic computer. They also proved to be a fundamental component of many mathematical systems. The text explains the uses of logarithms in both plane and spherical trigonometry and adds many pages of tables. Napier's method of producing the table was not described, but Napier indicated that should this work be suitably.

LeatherBound. Condition: New. BOOKS ARE EXEMPT FROM IMPORT DUTIES AND TARIFFS; NO EXTRA CHARGES APPLY. LeatherBound edition. Condition: New. Reprinted from 1618 edition. Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden leaf printing on spine. Bound in genuine leather with Satin ribbon page markers and Spine with raised gilt bands. A perfect gift for your loved ones. Pages: 27 NO changes have been made to the original text. This is NOT a retyped or an ocr'd reprint. Illustrations, Index, if any, are included in black and white. Each page is checked manually before printing. As this print on demand book is reprinted from a very old book, there could be some missing or flawed pages, but we always try to make the book as complete as possible. Fold-outs, if any, are not part of the book. If the original book was published in multiple volumes then this reprint is of only one volume, not the whole set. Sewing binding for longer life, where the book block is actually sewn (smythe sewn/section sewn) with thread before binding which results in a more durable type of binding. Pages: 27.

Paperback / softback. Condition: New. This item is printed on demand. New copy - Usually dispatched within 5-9 working days 348.