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EULER, Leonhard (1707-1783)
Lettres a une princesse d’Allemagne sur divers sujets de physique & de philosophie. St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1768-1772.
First edition in the original wrappers of ‘a principal document of the Enlightenment’ (Calinger). The publication of Euler’s letters to the Princess Friederike Charlotte Leopoldine Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt, to whom he had given lessons during his stay in Berlin, ‘had an immense success and profoundly influenced contemporary philosophy’ (PMM 196, note). ‘The most exhaustive and authoritative science popularization written during the eighteenth century, the Lettres critically examined in greater depth than did other works the complex and changing major Enlightenment natural philosophies, the Cartesian, Newtonian, Leibnizian, and Wolffian, and presented each in terms understandable to the educated European reading public […] Their passion for learning reflects that period's faith in education, including support of female learning. The Lettres, with their insightful explanation of the sciences and his core religious and spiritual positions, offer probably the best rounded view of Euler's character’ (Calinger). Calinger, Leonhard Euler: Mathematical Genius in the Enlightenment, 2015; Houzeau & Lancaster 8897; PMM 196 (note); Honeyman 1074.
3 volumes, octavo (vols. I and II 220 x 160mm; vol. III 225 x 165mm). 12 wood engraved folding plates, numerous woodcut diagrams in the text (8 wood engraved plates across two sheets detached and dampstained). Original blue wrappers, uncut and partly unopened (some splitting and fraying, wrappers of vol. I detached, text block split; repaired tears in wrappers of vol. III). Provenance: Russian ink stamp and manuscript lettering on lower wrapper of vol. III.
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