460d Apollonius of Perga. (circa 262-190 B.C.); ed. Isaac Barrow. (1630-1677) Apollonii conica: methodo nova illustrata, & succincte demonstrata. Per Isaacum Barrow, ex-professorem Lucasianum Cantab. & Soc. Regiæ Soc.

London: William Godbid apud Robert Scott,
in vico Little-Britain, 1675

$3,500

Quarto, 7.75 x 6.25 in. First edition printed in England [A]2, B-O4. Twelve large folded engravings of conic sections accompany the text. This pleasing copy is bound in modern paper wraps with little or no browning. All illustraions are present and in excellent condition.
Apollonius of Perga, a Greek geometer from the southern coast of Turkey, postulated that the planets revolved around the sun and that the sun revolves around the earth. Apollonius is believed to be the inventor of the system of epicycles and eccentric circles, used extensively by Hipparchus of Nicaea. His most important work is the present one, Conica. It is devoted to conic sections and includes the the first use of the term ‘ellipse.’

In its entry for Apollonius of Perga, the Encyclopedia Britannica calls the Conica, “one of the greatest scientific works from the ancient world,” noting that “most of [Apollonius’] other treatises were lost, although their titles and a general indication of their contents were passed on by later writers.”

The editor of this work, Issac Barrow, was an English mathematician and divine, considered by his contemporaries to be second only to Newton as a mathematician. Perhaps it is his relation to Newton that has brought Barrow his lasting fame. Newton attended Barrow’s lectures on optics in the 1668-69 terms and had many private discussions with Barrow, who helped Newton with some of his works, especially his Optiks. Most of Barrow’s lectures were published: in 1669 the Lectiones Opticae, followed by the Lectiones Geometricae in 1670, and the Lectiones Mathematicae in 1683. Newton helped prepare Barrow’s works for publication.

Wing A-3534