Fontenelle

FONTENELLE, Monsieur [Bernard Le Bovier de]Biblio.com

The lives of the French Italian and German Philosophers. Late members of the Royal Academy of Science in Paris. Together with abstracts Of some of the Choicest Pieces communicated by them to that Illustrious Society. To which is added The preface of the Ingenious Monsieur Fontenelle Secretary and Author of the History of the said Academy

1717rif. AQ19580London: Printed for W. Innys 1717. 16 xxxv 1 123 122-441 552 455- 464pp 4. With two terminal advertisement leaves. Contemporary gilt-tooled blind-panelled polished calf contrasting red morocco lettering-piece small shelf-label to head of spine. A trifle rubbed slightly chipped at head else a fine copy. The Macclesfield copy with the armorial 'North Library' bookplate shelf-mark 45.C.29 and typical armorial blind- stamps to title page and first two leaves of text pencilled shelf-marks to front endpapers. A choice copy of John Chamberlayne's significant translation of short biographies or 'Elogy as Mons. Fontenelle calls it' of eminent European scientists and mathematicians members of the French Academy of Sciences with excellent provenance: from the library of the dedicatee Thomas Parker 1st Earl of Macclesfield 1666-1732. Whilst the biographies within are translations of the work of Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle 1657-1757 celebrated French author and secretary for forty-two years of the Academy of Sciences in the second half of the work English writer John Chamberlayne c.1668-1772 has added brief English abstracts of 'some of the Choicest Pieces Memoirs Dissertations &c' taken from the Academy's Transactions including work on flora fauna entomology 'Upon Bees' geological and meteorological phenomena. Chamberlayne's gushing dedication of this work to Lord Parker - then Lord Chief Justice - references the latter's patronage of the sciences was apparently presented 'without.consent or knowledge' and indeed is referenced in his later works also dedicated with similar gusto to the Earl of Macclesfield. This taken with the presence in the Macclesfield library of several copies of works presented to Chamberlayne including Miscellanea Berolinensia ad incrementum scientiarum Berlin 1710 inscribed by Dr. Daniel Ernst Jablonski likely acquired by Parker after the 1724 sale of the library of Chamberlayne pere et fils further suggests a close connection between the two. A printed postscript to the dedication of this work also directed by Chamberlayne at 'My Lord' Parker discusses the disagreement over 'the Differential Calculation as the Invention thereof which I think is every where ascribed to the late Mons. Liebnitz' and 'no where attributed as it ought to our own Countryman Sir Isaac Newton the First Mathematician in the World' and shares with his readership that 'Dr. Keill.has done our British Philosopher justice; and fully proved that which Mr. L did in some manner acknowledge to me when I attempted to reconcile these two Great Men that Sir I.N. might be the first inventor'. Although not a presentation copy per se given the connection between the translator and early owner this is surely one of the most interesting copies available of this significant work documenting the work of the French academicians. . First edition. 8vo. Printed for W. Innys unknown

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