Lot 36
Simson, Robert
Sectionum conicarum libri v
The Library of James Stirling, Mathematician
Auction: 23 October 2025 from 13:00 GMT
Description
Edinburgh: apud T. et W. Ruddimannos, 1735. 4to (22.1 x 16.5cm), contemporary sprinkled calf, dove of peace motif gilt to spine-compartments, red morocco label, viii 204 pp., 36 engraved folding plates, manuscript corrections to pp. v, 137, 140 and 194, title-page slightly marked, small worm-track to top margins of text-leaves and plates from about p. 94, another appearing from p. 198, both gradually widening but text and images never affected, light marginal spotting [ESTC T70287]
Footnote
First edition, presentation copy from the author to James Stirling, with Stirling's ownership inscription ‘Ja: Stirling’ and his annotation ‘Donum Authoris’ to the title-page. Robert Simson held the chair in mathematics at the University of Glasgow for 50 years, from 1711 to 1761, making a lasting impact on mathematical education in Scotland. He was an important figure in the restoration and translation of classical mathematical texts, and his standing as a geometer is reflected in the enduring legacy of the ‘Simson Line’. Together with James Stirling and Colin Maclaurin he was one of three pre-eminent Scottish mathematicians in the first half of the 18th century. Stirling and Simson engaged with Newton's legacy in different ways: Stirling (and Maclaurin) were ‘part of the research programme in Britain spawned by Newton’s formulation of the fluxional calculus, while the work of Robert Simson and Matthew Stewart was inspired by Newton's preference for geometrical as opposed to algebraic analysis' (Broadie, ed., The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment, 2003, p. 105).