DARWIN, Charles.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured...
London: John Murray, 1859.
First edition, presentation copy, of “the most influential scientific work of the nineteenth century” (Horblit), “the most important biological work ever written” (Freeman), and “a turning point, not only in the history of science, but in the history of ideas in general” (DSB). “Darwin not only drew an entirely new picture of the workings of organic.....
![Item #5962 Instauratio magna [Novum Organum]. Sir Francis BACON](https://sophiararebooks.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/5962.jpg?width=768&height=1000&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1702292541)
BACON, Sir Francis.
Instauratio magna [Novum Organum].
London: Joannem Billium, 1620.
The Devonshire-Horblit-Garden copy of the first edition, first issue, large paper copy, published in October 1620 with Norton’s name in the colophon, and printed on paper with the large crown watermark. It appears that only one other large paper copy of the first issue has appeared in commerce. Bacon’s aim was to lay an entirely new.....
[NEWTON, Sir Isaac.]
Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. Also Two...
London: Printed for Sam. Smith and Benj. Walford, Printers to the Royal Society, at the Prince’s Arms in St. Paul’s Church-Yard, 1704.
First edition, first issue, and a superlative copy, presented by Newton to his close friend and collaborator Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, with an inscription recording the gift in Fatio’s hand and with his ink and pencil annotations in.....
COPERNICUS, Nicolaus.
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, libri VI: Habes in hoc opere iam recens nato, & ædito...
Nuremberg: Johann Petreius, 1543.
First edition, and an unusually fine copy, of the most important scientific publication of the sixteenth century – a “landmark in human thought” (PMM). De revolutionibus was the first work to propose a comprehensive heliocentric theory of the cosmos, according to which the sun stood still and the earth revolved around it. It thereby inaugurated one.....
HUYGENS, Christiaan.
Traité de la lumière. Ou sont expliquées les causes de ce qui luy arrive dans...
Leiden: Pieter van der Aa, 1690.
First edition, first issue, of Huygens’ path-breaking exposition of his wave theory of light; this is an extremely rare large paper presentation copy inscribed by Huygens to Pierre Daniel Huet. Huygens had developed his theory of light in 1676 and 1677, and “completed the Traité in 1678, but left it unpublished for twelve years, until.....
