Search Results

Prague, Jednota Ceskoslovenskych Matematiku a Fysiku, 1929. 8vo. Uncut and unopened in the original printed wrappers. A bit of minor chipping and bending to extremities. A very nice copy. 118, (2, -blank) pp. The rare first edition of one of the most important early works by the pioneer of the structural analysis of language and one of the most influential linguists of the 20th century, with presentation-inscription for one of the leading French linguists of the period: "A Mr J. Vendryes, homage respectueux del'auteur" on the title-page. The work constitutes the starting point of a new approach in linguistics and phonology.The work was published as No. 2 of the foundational "Travaux du Cercle Linguistique de Prague", the publication from the seminal Prague School of Linguistics, of which Jakobsen was a founder. The Prague School held its first international conference, of Slavic linguists, in 1929. Here Jakobson presented his research on the phonological evolution of Russian and other Slavic languages, which had led him to conclude that there was a correlation between the description of sound systems and the explanation of their evolution. "He identified the phoneme as the minimal unit of language capable of discriminating word meanings and viewed the phoneme as an indivisible atom. These advances constituted the starting point of a new approach in linguistics and phonology, according to which each language is distinguished from all others by its phonemic system, that is, by the inclusion or omission of particular phonemes available to human speech." (American National Biography). The work is fundamental for Jakobson's development of a universal structural-functional theory of phonology, which was the first successful theory of its kind in accordance with Saussurean hypotheses. The concept of the phoneme that Jakobson had reached became a fundamental element of linguistic theory and came to greatly affect scientific descriptions and analyses of language. Roman Osipovich Jakobson (1896 - 1982) was a famous Russian linguist and literary critic, who became one of the most influential linguists of the 20th century. He is probably most famous as the pioneer of structural analysis of language and as the co-founder of structuralism.Jakobson was born into a Russian Jewish family. Early on, he showed a great interest in the theory of language, and already as a student he became a leading figure of the Moscow Linguistic Circle. He was very much influenced by Husserl's phenomenology and the work of Saussure, and he developed a deep interest in the question of how language, the human speech, functions and is possible.Due to political troubles in Russia, in 1920 Jakobsen moved to Prague, where he was to become even more influential. Here, in 1926, he co-founded the Prague School of linguistic theory, which, together with the Copenhagen School, was the most influential school of linguistics of its time and of decades to come. It is here that Jakobson develops his seminal ideas of phonology as well as the term structuralism and the contents of it. Among his most important works from this period is his present work in which he compares the phonological evolution of the Russian language to that of other Slavic languages, a foundational work for the development of his theories on the structure and function of language.When the Second World War broke out, Jakobson moved to Scandinavia, where he met the Copenhagen School of linguistics and its main figure, Louis Hjelmslev. Later he fled to America, where he met Claude Lévi-Strauss, Quine, Bloomfeld and many other important thinkers within the field of language theory.Jakobson's structuralist theories of language differentiate much from other parts of the structuralist movement in that he constantly bases them on knowledge from other sciences, from mathematics, philosophy, psychology etc., and as such, Jakobson's theories are among the most influential and wide-ranging in the history of linguistics, as they come to also affect and profoundly influence several other scientific fields.Joseph Vendryes (1875-1960) was a much respected and quite influential French linguist specialized in Celtic languages. He was involved with the standardization and presentation of the universal language Interlingua.

London, Taylor and Francis, 1913-14. 8vo. Bound in two recent uniform full cloth bindings with gilt lettering to spines and front boards. Extracted from "The London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine" Sixth Series Volume 26 Nos 156 and 160, entire issues offered. A fine and clean set. Pp. 1024-1034 + 1plate; pp. 703-713. First edition of this groundbreaking paper which Rutherford considered A WORK ON PAR WITH THE VERY DISCOVERY OF THE PERIODICAL TABLE, introducing the concept 'Atomic Number'.Moseley notes a regularity in the shifting of spectral lines when the elements (he examines 50 elements) are arranged according to atomic weight. He finds that bombardments of the various elements with cathode rays yeilds a systematic sequence of vibration frequencies, and from this he derives the concept of atomic number, which he recognizes as equal to the nuclear charge."Moseley, working under Rutherford at Manchester, used the method of X-ray spectroscopy devised by the Braggs to calculate variations in the wave-lenght of the rays emitted by each element. These he was able to arrange in a series according to the nuclear charge of the element. Thus if the nuclear charge of hydrogen is 1, in helium it is 2, in lithium 3, and so on by regular progression to uranium as 92. These figures Moseley called atomic numbers.he pointed out that they also represented a corresponding increase in extra-nuclear electrons and that it is the number and arrangement of these electrons rather than the atomic weight that determines the properties of an element. It was now possible to base the periodical table on a firm foundation, and to state with confidence that the number of elements up to uranium is limited to 92. When Moseley'stable was completed, six atomic numbers had no corresponding elements; but Moseley himself was able to predict the nature of four of the missing elements."(Printing and the Mind of Man No. 407). Another paper on the same subject was published by Moseley the next year (1914).

Kiøbenhavn, August Friderich Stein,1765. 8vo. Bound in a fine modern full calf with richly gilt spine and gilt panels on covers. Five raised bands on spine (Jakob Baden). Spine slightly faded with minimal wear at joints and capitals. Full gilt edges and internal gilt borders. With Knud Scavenius’ gilt (super)bookplate stamped on front pastedown. Clean and well-preserved internally. (4), 140, (4) pp. The extremely rare first edition, published in 1765, the year after Brorson’s (1694–1764) death, contains 70 hymns from his final years, including the beloved “Her vil ties, her vil bies” and “Når mit øje, træt af møje.” These hymns reflect Brorson’s personal struggles and profound religious feelings, offering an intimate insight into his spiritual life. Svane-Sang is an important part of the Danish hymn tradition and attests to Brorson’s significance as one of the country’s foremost hymn writers.

Halle, 1930. 4to. Unbound, as issued, with the original paper backstrip. Spine a little loose. A very fine copy with only minor soiling. VI, 71 (also numbered (239)-309) pp. + 1 f. ("Lebenslauf"). Scarce first edition, offprint, with a 3-line presentation-inscription from Husserl (Signed "Ihr/ E Husserl") of Fink's inaugural price-dissertation, which also appeared in Husserl's "Jahrbuch für Philosophie und Phänomenologische Forschung" - there under the title "Vergegenwärtigung und Bild". This notorious dissertation was officially defended in front of Husserl and Heidegger and caused Fink to be chosen as Husserl's assistant. The present copy encapsules one of the most important periods in the history of phenomenology - the 1930'ies is a period of turmoil in the great phenomenologists life, a period in which Husserl transforms many of his basic ideas, and Fink, Husserl's assistant and the person closest to observing this transformation, is the primary witness to this historical change. "In the last decade of his life (from 1928 to 1938), Husserl sought to develop a new understanding of his transcendental phenomenology (in publications such as "Cartesian Meditations", "Formal and Transcendental Logic", and the "Crisis") in order to combat misconceptions of phenomenology then current (chief among which was Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology as articulated in "Being and Time"). During this period, Husserl had an assistant and collaborator, Eugen Fink, who sought not only to be midwife to the birth of Husserl's own ideas but who also wanted to mediate between Husserl and Heidegger. As a result of the Fink-Husserl collaboration there appeared a rich flow of works that testify to the depth with which transcendental phenomenology had been rethought." (Dermot Moran, Fink's Speculative Phenomenology: Between Constitution and Transcendence).The important German philosopher Eugen Fink initially studied under Husserl in Freiburg, before he famously became his assistant. He counts as one of the most important representatives of phenomenological idealism and is famous for his definition of philosophical problems as "pre-questions" that lead, through ontological practice, to true philosophy. "Eugen Fink was Edmund Husserl's research assistant during the last decade of the renowned phenomenologist's life, a period in which Husserl's philosophical ideas were radically recast." (R. Bruzina, Edmund Husserl and Eugen Fink. Beginnings and Ends in Phenomenology, 1928-1938).

Kjøbenhavn, M. F. Blaunfeldts Forlag, 1887. 8vo. Indbundet i et lidt senere rødt halvlæderbind med rygforgyldning. Forreste fals revnet. Kapitæler delvist bortslidte. Exlibris på indersiden af forpermen. Indbundet med blanke blade. Ren og pæn indvendig. 11,(1) pp. Den uhyre sjældne originaludgave af Gustav Wieds debut. Holten-Nielsen, 9: "Det oprindelige Oplags Størrelse kan ikke oplyses, men er forsaavidt ogsaa af mindre Betydning, som Antallet af endnu eksisterende Eksemplarer udenfor Statsbibliotekerne sikkert kan skrives med et encifret Tal." Til grund for det korte skrift ligger den prekære politiske skandale 'Interpellationen i Storehedinge'. I januar 1887 så smørgrossist Carl Conrad Frederik Ingeman-Petersen (1854-1915) daværende kultusminister Jacob Scavenius (1838-1915) træde ind på et bordel på hjørnet af Knabrostræde, og kort derefter hørtes smældet af en champagneprop fra det åbne vindue på første sal. Ved valghandlingen i Storehedinge, hvor Scavenius var opstillet af Højre, rejste Ingeman-Petersen sig og fortalte forsamlingen, hvad han havde været vidne til. Interpellationen blev afbrudt af politimesteren, og Ingeman-Petersen blev anholdt på stedet. Kort derefter udsendte han pjecen 'En Redegjørelse i Anledning af Interpellationen i Storehedinge', der fik Scavenius til anlægge en retssag, som Ingeman-Petersen tabte. Affæren udløste en lang række af pjecer, hvoraf Wieds er den kendteste. Som programerklæring for skriftet indleder han med ordene: "Nærværende Aforismer vare egentlig fra først af bestemte til at udgøre et eget Afsnit af en større Samling, men udgives nu, dels fordi jeg synes, de have en vis 'aktuel' Interesse, dels og fornemmeligst fordi jeg hermed ligesom kan udstæde en officiel Krigserklæring til Kristendommen, Kirken og Præsterne, forinden jeg aabner en Kamp paa Liv og Død imod dem."

Berlin, 1934. 8vo. Original printed wrappers. Front wrappers loose and wrappers a bit chipped at extremities. Otherwise very fine. Inscribed at front wrapper and with a 7 line marginal not to p. 15. Pp. 15-32. First edition, offprint, with presentation-inscription from Husserl ("Mit freundlichen Grüssen von E Husserl") and a 7-line marginal note in Husserl's hand, referring to Fink's "Die/ Phän. Philo-/ sophie/ Edm. Husserls". The present copy encapsules one of the most important periods in the history of phenomenology - the mid 1930'ies is a period of turmoil in the great phenomenologists life, a period in which Husserl transforms many of his basic ideas, and Fink, Husserl's assistant and the person closest to obeserving this transformation, is the primary witness to this historical change. Fink's works from the 30'ies on Husser's philosophy are pivotal to the understanding of the transformation of Husserl's thought - and thus the transformation of phenomenology in general. One can hardly imagine a more interesting association-copy caputing this period of phenomenological transformation. The important German philosopher Eugen Fink initially studied under Husserl in Freiburg, before he famously became his assistant. He counts as one of the most important representatives of phenomenological idealism and is famous for his definition of philosophical problems as "pre-questions" that lead, through ontological practice, to true philosophy. "Eugen Fink was Edmund Husserl’s research assistant during the last decade of the renowned phenomenologist’s life, a period in which Husserl’s philosophical ideas were radically recast." (R. Bruzina, Edmund Husserl and Eugen Fink. Beginnings and Ends in Phenomenology, 1928-1938).

London, Macmillan & Co., 1932. 8vo. In the original green embossed cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Printed on thick paper. A few pages with light marginal pencil annotations. A small tear to p. VII. Otherwise a very fine copy. XII, 141, (3) pp. With author's presentation inscription to front free end-paper: "Apologia pro vita sua / L .C. R." First edition, presentation-copy, of Robbins's landmark publication, in which he sought to define more precisely economics as a science. With the present publication he became instrumental in shifting Anglo-Saxon economics from its Marshallian direction, which eventually caused the breakthrough of neo-classical (Walrasian) definition of economics. The work is "one of the most cited, if not most read, books on the subject in the period 1932-60, and it influenced greatly economists' views about the nature of their discipline." (The New Palgrave). The definitions of economics presented here "were widely accepted by the world of academic economists and are still propagated" (The New Palgrave).Robbins put forth two central themes, both having a lasting and deep influence upon economics of the 20th century, the first being: "That economic science could be clearly demarcated from those discussions of economic issues that involved value judgments - by which latter term Robbins meant evaluation statements of the form 'better or worse' where inter-personal comparisons of utility were involved. He also argued that there was a clear demarcation between economic science and other branches of social enquiry such as social psychology, sociology, politics and so on."The second major theme was that the subject matter of economic science was not a particular activity (for example, Cannan's view that economics was the science of wealth), but rather an aspect of all human conduct. This aspect was the 'fact' of economic scarcity - a manifestation of unlimited ends on the part of individuals and society and means of satisfying those ends that were limited in supply. In word so often quoted in economics text Robbins defined economic science as 'that science that studies the relationship between ends and means that have alternative uses' - a definition that is more than reminiscent of Menger's exposition of the economizing process." (The New palgrave)Lionel Robbins (1898 - 1984) was a British (mainly theoretical) economist and head of the economics department at the London School of Economics. In macroeconomics Robbins's was a firm exponent of the Hayek's - and the Austrian school in general - teachings whom he brought to the London School of Economics in 1928. His liberal view was expressed when he famously, together with Joseph Schumpeter, advocated that nothing should be done about the 1929-depression and that it had to run its course since this alone would create a lasting development out of the depression.

Baltimore, John Murphy & Co., 1879. 4to, entire issue present (Vol. II, no. 4). With the original printed wrappers. Uncut. Wrappers loose and with tears and loss to extremities. Backtrip gone. Stitching a bit loose. Internally nice and clean. First paper: A Quincuncial Projection of the Sphere pp. (394)-396 + 1 folded table. Second paper: On the Ghosts in Rutherfurd's Diffraction-Spectra pp. (330)-347. [Entire issue: pp. (293)-404 + IV, (2) pp] Scarce first printings of these seminal papers, the first of which introduces Peirce's quincunical projection, the second of which documents his discovery of hitherto unknown diffraction phenomena called "ghosts".The Peirce quincuncial projection (published here for the first time) is a conformal map projection that presents the sphere as a square, which allowed for the displaying of the entire sphere with most areas being recognizable . Peirce called his projection quincuncial, after the arrangement of five items in a quincunx. "For meteorological, magnetological and other purposes, it is convenient to have a projection of the sphere which shall show the connections of all parts of the surface." Peirce himself wrote. (American Journal of Mathematics. Volume II. Number 4, 394 pp.)In "On the Ghosts in Rutherfurd's Diffraction-Spectra" Peirce documented his discovery of hitherto unknown diffraction phenomena called "ghosts." In his spectrum meter experiments, Peirce compared wave-lengths of light with the breadth of a diffraction plate. He used a machine called a comparator, a spectrometer he himself designed, and a diffraction plate designed by Lewis M. Rutherfurd.

Leipzig, J. C. Hinrichs, 1900. 8vo. Contemporary green half cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Very light brownspotting to front free end-paper and title-page, otherwise a very fine and clean copy. (4), 189, (3) pp. The very rare first edition of Harnack's seminal and hugely popular work on the essence of Christianity, which later gave birth to the movement of Liberal Protestantism. Today it is widely regarded as being one of the most influential works of modern protestantism. "No other book has so deeply stirred the world of theological thought as Harnack's work on the essence of Christianity" (The Catholic University bulletin, 9. Binding, P. 206)."Harnack expounded what he believed to be the core of the Christian religion, set free from the encrustations of dogma that had been laid down through the centuries. The core is to be reached by penetrating back to the teaching of Jesus himself, and Harnack represented this teaching as proclaiming the fatherhood of God, the infinite worth of the human soul, and the ethical ideal of the kingdom of God. The supposedly original gospel of Jesus is also claimed to be the only version of Christianity that can make sense for modern minds, since it is free from theological and metaphysical mystifications." (Borchert, Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Vol. 4, P. 228)."These lectures of 'The Essence of Christianity' by the then professor of church history at Berlin University were received with an enthusiasm unparalleled for centuries in the field of religious pamphleteering. They proclaimed the fundamental concord of the tenets of the early Church as preserved in the non-Roman Churches with the social and economic morality of the twentieth; and innumerable reprints and translations broadcast this message of liberal Protestantism all over the world. [...] Harnack's influence upon the intellectual life of Germany was enormous". (PMM 390)The vast popularity of the of the book is attested to by the well documented fact that at one point in 1900 the railway terminal in Leipzig was brought to a standstill by goods trains loaded with printed copies of the book!PMM 390

Paris, Jacques Collombat, 1695. 12mo. Contemp. hcalf. Raised bands, gilt spine, titlelabel with giltlettering (lettering weak). A bit rubbed. Title-page in red and black. 213,(21) pp., 1 folded engraved maps and 5 folded engraved plates. A few brownspots to outer margins. Stamps on verso of title-page. Scarce first edition recounting Le Maire's voyage to West Africa and the Atlantic islands off the coast of Africa. Le Maire, a physician in the service of the Compagnie d'Afrique, describes the inhabitants, customs, and places that he visited. Le Maire’s work remains an important source for the study of 17th-century West Africa, interactions between Africans and Europeans, and aspects of the transatlantic slave trade.

Leipzig, Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1860, 1861. 2 uniform contemp. hcalf, raised bands, gilt spine. A few scratches to spine. In "Annalen der Physik und Chemie. Hrsg. von J.C. Poggendorff", Bd. 110 a. Bd. 113. - IX,668 pp. a. 8 folded plates. X,660 a. 8 folded plates. Entire volumes offered. The 2 papers: pp. 161-189 a. pp. 337-381 and plates (one plate in chromolithography, spectra of different elements). Verso of titlepages and verso of plates with small stamps. Internally fine and clean. First printing of these fundamental papers, constituting the invention of Spectrum Analysis and announcing the discovery of two new elements, Cesium and Rubidium by using the new method of spectroscopy developed by them. This technique, made possible by their invention of the spectroscope is called "One of the most dashing advances of the human mind into the secrets of the composition of matter on earth and in cosmos"(Kedrow in "Spectralanalyse", 1961). The spectral lines proved to be a guide not only to the great world of the outer cosmos, but to the infra-tiny world within the atom. Balmer made the first steps in this direction (the Balmer-lines)."The two investigators advanced, as scientifically established, the law that the bright lines in the spectrum may be taken as a sure sign of the presence of the respective metals. This conclusion was rendered doubtly sure by the discovery in the mineral water of Durkheim, through the spectrum, of two new metals. From the blue and the red lines, by which they were recognized, they were named "Cæsium" and "Rubidium". While spectrum analysis, as a terrestrial science, was due equally to Kirchhoff and Bunsen, its celestial applications belong to Kirchhoff alone."(Cajori in "A History of Physics in its Elementary Branches", pp. 160 ff).In a letter to Henry Roscoe, with whom Bunsen carried out a long importent series of photochemical researches, Bunsen wrote: "At present Kirchhoff and I are engaged in a common work which doesn't let us sleep....Kirchhoff has made a wonderful, entirely unexpected discovery in finding the cause of the dark lines in the solar spectrum, and increasing them artificially in the sun's spectrum, and inproducing them in spectra which does not have lines, and in exactly the same position as the corresponding Frauenhofer lines. Thus a means has been found to determine the composition of the sun and fixed stars with the same accuracy as we determine sulfuric acid, chlorine, etc., with our chemical reagents. Substances on the earth can be determined by this method just as easely as on the sun, so that, for example, I have been able to detect lithium in twenty grams of sea water."

Wijsingzborg, Johann Kankel, 1670. Folio. (32 x 20 cm.). Samtidigt helpergamentsbd. Håndsyede kapitælbånd. Håndskreven rygtitel. Bindet med lidt brunpletter, men i fin stand. (12),110,523,(8) pp. Mindre smal skjold i indre margin på halvtitelbladet og titelbladet. Lidt spredte brunpletter og nogle ark med svag bruning. Godt eksemplar med brede marginer. En trykt rettelsesetiket er indklæbet i marginen på side 108. Helsides træstik af det svenske rigsvåben på blad 3. Første svenske udgave af "Heimskringla", redigeret, oversat og besørget af J. Rugman. Bogen indledes med Hugo Grotius' lange fortale, pp. 1-110. Forordet af Daniel Gyldenstolpe. Udgivelsen blev bekostet af Per Brahe og trykt på hans trykkeri på Visingsö.Fiske I, 539. - Collijn, 367. - Warmholtz, 2698.

Berlin, Asher & Co., 1886. Folio and 4to. Bound in 3 uniform solid hcloth, slightly rubbed. (2 in folio, 1 in 4to). (8),212;(8),448;V,(1),204 pp. The original printing.

Christiania (Oslo), 1883-1979. Lex8vo. Vol. 1-79 bound in 40 vols. (Vol. 1-4 in 2 contemp. hcalf and vol. 5-79 in solid uniform hcloth with tome-and titlelabels on spines). Vol. 80-94 in clean parts. Register volume 1-16 in hcloth.

Lund, 1839-46 og Lund, berlingska Boktryckeriet, 1855. Lille 4to. Indbundet i et samtidigt helshirtbd. Rygforgyldning og forgyldt titel på ryg. En smule kantslid. FÅGLAR: Litograferet og håndkoloreret titelblad. (2),22,(2) pp. samt 62 litograferede og håndkolorerede plancher. Bagsiden af titelblad og dedikationsbladet med en mindre reparation. Tekstsider med lidt brunpletter. Plancherne friske og rene, dog lidt brunpletter på 2 plancher. DÄGGDJUR: Litograferet titelblad, tekst 6 pp. (bundet bagerst) samt 22 litograferede og håndkolorerede plancher. Lidt brunpletter på titelbladet og tekstsiderne. Plancherne gennemgående i fin stand, enkelte med lidt svage brunpletter. Begge værker i originaludgaverne af disse smukke værker hvor Körner var en af sin tids mest skattede dyretegnere. Værkerne udmærker sig ved stor akkuratesse og finhed i kolorereingen, selv om fuglefigurerne er forholdsvis små. Her afbildes ca. 300 skandinaviske fuglearter. Bindet med pattedyrene (däggdjur) er i samme stil som fugleværket og er bemærkelsesværdigt idet mange svenske pattedyr afbildes her for første gang. (Se Björn Dal i "Sveriges Zoologiska Litteratur" pp. 176-78). - Jean Anker, 271.- Nissen ZBI, 2276.

Christiania (Oslo), Grøndahl & Søn, 1880-1901. Large 4to. Bound in 7 uniform contemp. hcalf. Spines gilt and with gilt lettering. Light wear to top of spines on a few volumes. Spines slightly rubbed. Stamp on title-page.The historical part with the 6 fine chromolithographed plates (Vestmanna Øer - Jan Mayen - Berenberg, Jan Mayen - Beeren-Eiland - Sydkap, Spitzbergen - Magdalene Bay, Spitzbergen) and maps. Throughout profusely illustrated with lithographed plates and maps. Text in parallel columns in Norwegian a. English. Issued in 28 parts dealing with different scientific subjects, each part paginated separately. A clean, well-preserved copy. First edition, conataining all the reports from the expedition, sponsored by the Norwegian government, for a physical and biological exploration of the waters between Norway, Iceland, Jan Mayen and West Spitzbergen, carried out in the Vøringen, under the leadership of Capt. C. Wille. (Arct. Bibliography, 12540).

Burdigalae, Ex Typis Gounouilhou, 1892. 8vo. Bound with the scarce original printed wrappers in mathcing recent light greenish-grey boards with title to spine.- A few markings and spotting to wrappers and tiny paper-restorations to corners, A part from light pencil-annotations, a very fine and clean copy. 74, (2) pp. The scarce first edition of Durkheim's earliest published work, his subsidiary Latin thesis on Montesquieu, which anticipates many of his most important theories and contains important observations that are formative for his later work. As such, the present work constitutes his earliest exposition of sociology as a science.Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the father of sociology, is credited with making sociology a science and established sociology as a recognized academic discipline. Together with Karl Marx and Max Weber he is considered the principal architect of modern social science. The present work, which serves as the companion to his "The Division of Labour in Society", printed the year after, in 1893, analyses Montesquieu's "Spirit of Laws" as a foundational work of modern sociology, explains how Montesquieu's distinctions define the conditions and boundaries of sociology and how the work is the first to establish the main principles of political science. One of Durkheim's major contributions lies in his insistence on taking the total society as his theoretical frame of reference, which is quite explicitly observed in the present analysis and explanation of Montesquieu.

Paris, L'Imprimerie Royale, 1778. 4to. 2 contemp. Full mottled calf. Raised bands. Richly gilt spines. Titlelabels with gilt lettering. Volume one rebacked, preserving nearly all of original spines and endpapers renewed. Neath repairs to edges. Stamp on title-pages. (4),389,XIX,(3);(6),500,XXX,(2) pp., 28 mostly folded engraved plates and 3 large folded engraved maps. The maps strenghtened in foldings on verso and slightly brownspotted. Wide-margined. A few scattered brownspots. First edition. In the years 1771-1772 the French government sent a scientific expedition led by Verdun de la Crenne to the North Atlantic. Their commission was to explore the ocean, coasts, and islands and correct errors on existing charts and test various ways of measuring latitude and longitude. One of the most significant corrections they made was in the location of Iceland; based on their measurements they moved the country three and a half degrees eastwards. It comprises the large sea chart of the northern Atlantic (58 x 88 cm.), which is centered roughly on Iceland. It covers from Labrador, Newfoundland, and Baffin Island (Ile James) to Norway, and includes Greenland, Great Britain, Denmark, and part of the coast France, inland to Paris.Sabin, 98960.

Paris, Bachelier, 1845 a. 1846. 4to. No wrappers. In: "Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des sciences", Vol. 21, No 19, Vol. 22, No 22, Vol. 23, Nos 9, 14, 16 a. 17. (6 entire issues offered). Le verrier's papers: pp. 1050-1055 (No 19), pp. 907-919 (no 22), pp. 428-438 (No 9), pp. 657-659, 659-643, 676 (No 14), pp. 741, 741-754, 754 (No 16), pp. 798-799, 799-800 (No 17). With title-pages to vol. 21,22 a. 23. Titlepages with a small stamp in upper corner and a perforated stamp to lower margin. Light yellowing to title-pages, otherwise clean and fine on good paper. First printing of Le Verrier's importent and famous papers, predicting and confirming the discovery of the Planet Neptune, including the "preparatory" paper, the first paper on the anomalities in the orbit of Uranus, the calculations on which eventually leading to his prediction and discovery of a new planet, Neptune the following year, 1846."In 1846 John Cauch Adams... and Urban J. Leverrier... simultaneously and independently determined the location of a possible new planet... In 1845 he wrote of his findings of the mathematical location of a new planet to Sir George Bidell Airy,,, Because Adams was unknown, his letter was put aside. Meanwhile the same perturbations of Uranus had become of interest to Leverrier. On July 1(should be June !), 1846 he presented a paper "Recherches sur les mouvements d'Uranus" to the Academie des Sciences inParis. When Airy realized that Leverrier and Adams had reached the same conclusions, he hastened to suggest that a search be made for the newplanert. Shortly hereafter it was seen bur not recognized. About a week before it was found in England, it was discovered by Galle in Berlin on information supplied by Leverrier. Thus, the honour of the discovery, or even co-discovery of the new planet, Neptune, was lost to Adams and credited to Leverrier.... Adams paper was reade before the Royal Astronomical Society, November 13, 1846, and was published in 1847. (Milestones p. 40).Milestones of Science No 132. - Dibner No. 16.

Osnabrück, J. G. Schwänders Tilman Bucholtz, 1660. Folio. Fine recent hvellum in old style made of old materials. Titlelabel in leather on spine with gilt lettering. The htitle reads: "Praxis Artolloriae Pyrotechnicæ". Htitle,(6),71,(1) pp.. and 51 engraved plates with 117 figs. (numb. 1-51 of which 2 are unnumb.). One leaf lacks (pp. 17/18) and p. 17 is present in cont. handwriting, but the whole leaf supplied in a fine facsimile on old paper. 2 plates a bit shaved and frayed in margin. Slight browning to htitle, a few minor brownspots. A good copy. Scarce second edition. The publisher tells us in the postscript that the book, published 1657, was in much demand and that it was unobtainable, so he was requested by a gentleman (Einen vornehmen Herr) to republish it. This second edition came out without the authors name. It is divided in 2 parts. The first part mainly deals with all kinds of recreative fireworks but also with the making of rockets, fire-water-and storm balls, grenades, pitch, storm wheels and receipts for gunpowder. The second part deals with gunnery and artillery (Ander der Artollery). - Chris Philip S 310.2 - Not in Rumpf and Cockle.

Warszawa [Warsaw], 1934. 8vo. Orig. printed brown wrappers. Near mint condition. 25 pp (pp. 438-60 in Przeglad Filozoficzny, vol. 37). Exceedingly scarce first edition, off-print with own pagination also, of this very important article by one of the four greatest logicians ever, the Polish-American Alfred Tarski.Tarski's theory of definability, which he presents in this article, belongs to one of his main contributions to logic. Tarski here distinguishes between groups of concepts within the methodology of the deductive sciences: 1) concepts such as "axiom", "theorem", "rule of inference", "proof", and 2) "primitive (undefined) concept" (or "primitive term"), "definable concept", "rule of definition", "definition". "A far-reaching parallelism can be established between the concepts of the two groups: The primitive concepts correspond to the axioms, the defined concepts to the derivable sentences, the process and rules of definition to the process and rules of proof." (English translation of the article, 1956, p. 296). Until this article was written, nothing on the subject of methodology of deductive sciences had primarily dealt with the concepts of the first group, but, as Tarski himself states, "in considering the second group of concepts many interesting and important problems force themselves upon us, some of which are quite analogous to those which arise in connection with the first group." (Introduction, English translation, 1956, p. 296). Two problems are discussed within this domain: the problem of the definability and the mutual independence of concepts, as well as the problem of the completeness of concepts of an arbitrary deductive theory.Tarski (1901-1983) has contributed seminally to the fields of mathematics and logic in a number of ways, and together with Frege, Russell and Gödel, he now ranks as the most important contributor to the field of logic. He is thus considered one of the four greatest logicians of all times.

Stockholm, Carl Delén och J.G. Forsgren (senere) Nordstedt & Söner, 1801- 1926. 8vo. Indbundet i 92 samtidige, nogenlunde ensartede hldrbd. med rigt forgyldte rygge. Nogle bind med kapitælslid, nogle få med tab af lidt ryglæder og et bind med tab af ryg. Indvendigt udmærkede og velbevarede.

Amsterdam, 1968 + (Vienna, 1968). Both 8vo. Both unbound and stapled with brown paper-backstrip. "Epistemology...": nice and clean copy. Pp. (333)-373. "On the Theory...": backstrip a bit torn, otherwise a nice and clean copy. Printed on rectos only. Pp. (25)-53. Both works being in the scarce original re-prints of proof-prints (with the original corrections reproduced), both with signed presentation-inscription on top of first page to Tönu Puu [the first reading: "To Tönu Puu / from K. R. Popper.", the second: : "To Tönu Puu / from K. R. Popper / with many thanks / and kind regards."]. of Popper's important works on "the third world", which together forms his "Popperian Cosmology", focusing on the "third world", namely the body of human knowledge expressed in its manifold forms.Tönu Puu is Professor of Economics at the University of Umeå in Sweden. In 1967 Puu published "Some Reflections on the Relation between Economic Theory and Economic Reality", which caught Popper's attention - and to such an extent that he cited it. The two present works constitute the main contributions to what is known as Popperian cosmology, in which Popper divides the world into three parts. "EPISTEMOLOGY WITHOUT A KNOWING SUBJECT" explores the third world."The main topic of this lecture will be what I often call, for want of a better name, "the third world". To explain this expression I will point out that, without taking the word "world" or "universe" too seriously, we may distinguish the following three worlds or universes; first, the world of physical objects or of physical states; secondly, the world of states of consciousness, or of mental states [...]; and thirdly the world of objective contents of thought, especially of scientific and poetic thoughts and of works of art. Thus what I call "the third world" has admittedly much in common with Plato's theory of forms or ideas, and therefore also with Hegel's objective spirit, though my theory differs radically, in some decisive respects. It has more in common still with Bolzano's theory of a universe of propositions in themselves and of truth in themselves, though it differs from Bolzano's also. My third world resembles most closely the universe of Frege's objective contents of thought." (Popper, Karl. Epistemology Without a Knowing Subject, pp. (333))."In "Epistemology Without a Knowing Subject" Popper offers a "biological" argument for doubting that minds and bodies exhaust all the entities inhabiting the human world. Not only is man a conscious animal, he is also a being whose communicative capacity has evolved to the point of being able to describe and criticize his encounters with the world" (Fuller, Steve. Social Epistemology, Indiana University Press, 1988, p. 51).In "ON THE THEORY OF THE OBJECTIVE MIND", "the matter at issue is not, as Descartes, the knowledge of particular subjects but a knowledge that is independent of particular subjects, that is, intersubjective. [It] has much in common with "Plato´s theory of Forms and Ideas" and "Hegel´s objective spirit". (Keuth, Herbert. The philosophy of Karl Popper, Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 294)."To sum up, I have tried to show that the idea of the third world is of interest for a theory of understanding which aims at combining an intuitive understanding of reality with the objectivity of rational criticism", (Popper, Karl. On the Theory of the Objective Mind, p. 47).Karl Popper still exercises extensive influence on a variety of different thinkers, scholars and economists. The billionaire investor George Soros claims that his investment strategies are modeled upon Popper's understanding of the advancement of knowledge through the distinctly Hegelian idea of falsification.

Stockholm, Benjamin G. Schneider, (1731). 8vo. Smukt nyere hldrbd., pastichebind med ophøjede bind på ryggen. Forgyldt rygtitel. (Nanna Grönvalls Eftr., Malmø). Graveret frontispiece. (32),317,(1, Errata) pp. 2 kobberstukne plancher, det ene foldet. Yderst frisk, rent og velbevaret eksemplar, trykt på skrivepapir. Originaltrykket af denne yderst sjældne svenske have-og husholdningsbog.

London, Taylor and Francis, 1919. Recent full cloth. Titlelabel in leather on spine with gilt lettering. In: "The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science" Sixth Series, Vol. XXXVII. Pp. VIII,616 pp. a. 6 plates. A stamp to top of p. 537. Rutherford's paper: pp. 537-587. First appearance of this seminal paper which contains Rutherford's discovery of artificial transmutation. He here discovered, that the atomic nucleus (discovered by him in 1911) itself had a structure, when, by bombarding nitrogen with alpha particles, he produced THE FIRST ARTIFICIAL TRANSFORMATION OF AN ELEMENT INTO ANOTHER, and what was left after the bombardment had to be those of oxygen atoms. - Thus thus began the age of nuclear physics."Rutherford was .. the first man ever to change one element into another as a result of the manipulations of his own hands. He had achieved the dream of the alchemists. He had also demonstrated the first man-made "nuclear reaction". By 1924 Rutherford had managed to knock protons out of the nuclei of most of the lighter elements." (Asimov)."A few years before, Marsden had noticed scintillations on a screen placed far beyond the range of alpha particles when these particles were allowed to bombard hydrogen. Rutherford repeated the experiment and showed that the scintillations were caused by hydrogen nuclei or protons. This was easily understood, but when he substituted nitrogen for the hydrogen, he saw the same proton flashes. The explanation he gave in 1919 stands beside the transformation theory of radioactivity and the nuclear atom as one of Rutherford’s most important discoveries. This, he said, was a case of artificial disintegration of an element. Unstable, or radioactive, atoms disintegrated spontaneously; but here a stable nucleus was disrupted by the alpha particle, and a proton was one of the pieces broken off." (DSB).PMM: 411.