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I. Bernard Cohen's copy of the First Edition, with his handwritten note on the verso of the title page, 'received from/Cabot Science Library/30 January 1984'. Frontispiece, x, 210 pp; 53 figs. + additional figs. in Appendices (see below). Original cloth. Cabot embossed stamp on title page, ink stamp on verso of title page ('Received January 17 1984') and on top and bottom edge. Else Near Fine, in near fine dust jacket. In his introduction, Gowing mentions Cohen's Introduction to Newton's Principia as one of two 'exellent and detialed' commentaries, along with A. Rupert Hall & Laura Trilling's Introduction to Vol. V of Newton's Correspondence. Appendix I (143-185; 34 figs.) = English translation of Logometria (p. 142 illustrates the title page of the Trinity College Library copy, with the famous note, 'Isaac Newton, speaking of Mr. Cotes, said 'If he had lived we might have known something'). Pp. 187-191, 2 figs. = Commentary on Proposition IV of Logmetria. Pp. 191-194, 1 fig. = Cotes' eighteen forms of fluents. Pp. 195-203, 3 figs. = Logometria, Part III, Problem X: The cotes spirals and related orbits. Pp. 205-206, 1 fig. = A manuscript in Trinity College Library, Cambridge. The fig. reproduces MS 1 17 12 20, 'Instruments in Trinity college Library, Cambridge, 20 October 1704'. 'Roger Cotes (1682 1716) was the first Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy, at Trinity College, Cambridge. One of the most distinguished, and certainly one of the most ardent, of the early Newtonians he did important work in mathematics and astronomy and edited the second edition of Newton's Principia. Cotes died young and published only one paper, the Logometria, during his lifetime; a translation of this paper is given in the Appendix. Most of Cotes's papers were published posthumously in Latin in Harmonia Mensurarum in 1722. Dr Gowing discusses Cotes' work in some detail but has written the work in such a way that the more technical aspects of the mathematics can be omitted at first reading whilst still giving a clear idea of Cotes' achievement. Cotes' work was significant but his full potential was unrealised; in Newton's reputed words: 'If he had lived, we might have known something' ' (Cambridge University Press Web site). Contents: Preface; Introduction; 1. Cotes as first Plumian Professor, and as editor of Newton's Principia; 2. Logometria; 3. New methods in the calculus; 4. Cote's factorisation theorem; 5. Astronomy; 6. Numerical methods; 7. The missing works; 8. Conclusion; Appendices; Select bibliography; Index.
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