The Theory of Sound. 2 Vols.

RAYLEIGH, [Third] Baron [Lord] [STRUTT, John William 1842-1919]:

Published by London: Macmillan, 1877-78., 1877

About this Item

First Edition of 'The Principia of Acoustics.' xi, 326 pp; 53 figs.; ads; x, 302 pp; figs. 54-64; ads. Original cloth. Slightly worn, else Very Good. 'This is a masterpiece and is a model for treatises on mathematical physics; it is sometimes referred to as 'The Principia of Acoustics' ' (Miller, Anecdotal History of the Science of Sound). 'The greatest single work ever published in acoustics. . . . The results of Rayleigh's work in acoustics are embodied in his treatise 'The Theory of Sound' and in 128 published articles, the first of which appeared in 1870 . . . and the last in 1919 -- this was his last published paper and appeared in print after his death. Except for the years 1895, 1896 and 1906, there was not a year from 1870 to 1919 in which an article having a definite connection with acoustics did not appear. This record of devotion to a single department of thought is undoubtedly unique in the annals of science and becomes all the more remarkable when we recall that this activity was accompanied by unchecked attention to a host of other problems extending over the whole field of physics, leading to a total of nearly 450 publications' (R. B. Lindsay, 'Historical Introduction,' pp. xii and xxv, to 1945 Dover reprint of The Theory of Sound). 'The Theory of Sound . . . is still a vade mecum in every acoustical research laboratory' (D. S. B. XIII: 104). John William Strutt, Third Baron Rayleigh: Nobel Prize, Physics, 1904, 'for his investigations of the densities of the most important gases and for his discovery of argon in connection with these studies.'. Seller Inventory # 25313

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Theory of Sound. 2 Vols.

Publisher: London: Macmillan, 1877-78.

Publication Date: 1877

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

Edition: 1st Edition