NEWTON, Isaac.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. Editio tertia aucta & emendata. Third edition, revised by Newton himself; the final and most lavish edition to appear in his lifetime. The revisions include a new preface by Newton and one of his final statements on the nature of philosophy.By 1726, the 83-year-old Newton was making a sustained effort to tidy up his scientific legacy. For the Principia, that meant adapting his arguments in light of his many disputes with continental philosophers following the first edition of 1687. The third edition is perhaps most notable for the new Rule IV of Book III, in which Newton codifies his contention that hypotheses, and particularly Leibnizian aether hypotheses, have no place in true philosophy. Newton also adds extensive revisions to the sections on fluxions and lunar motion. Henry Pemberton (1694-1771), a 30-year-old physician and correspondent of the Oxford Newtonian John Keill, was selected as the co-editor, although Newton remained the primary force shaping the edition.A contemporary reader has made four ink annotations throughout this copy, on pages 388, 414, 416, and 465, along with a handful of underlinings. The reader is particularly interested in Newton's treatment of lunar theory: the annotation on page 414 observes that "faciliùs multò polest hic calculus perfici, ope motûs lunaris" ("this calculation could be completed much more easily with the help of the lunar movement").

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.