The French Academy of Sciences
ACADEMIE ROYALE DES SCIENCES. Histoire de l’Academie Royale des Sciences. Anné MDCXCIX (-MDCCIII). Avec les Memoires de Mathematique & de Physique, pour la même Anné. Tirez des Registres de cette Academie. [Suite de l’Histoire… Anné MDCCIII].
Amsterdam, chez Gerard Kuyper 1706-1707
5 volumes with 2 parts in each volume, octavo, fine contemporary matching continental polished calf, spines richly gilt, five raised bands, red and green morocco labels lettered and numbered in gilt, edges of boards gilt, title pages printed in red and black with engraved printers device, engraved frontispiece to each volume; with the Priviligie leaf in each volume printed in Dutch, woodcut initials, (1) + (26) + 152pp + 344pp; (1) + (6) + 204pp + 404pp + (6) Catalogue des Livres; (1) + (8) + 180pp + 505pp + (7pp) Catalogue des Livres; (1) + (6) + 184pp + 437pp + (3pp) Catalogue des Livres; (2) + (8) + 182pp + 571pp + (5pp) Catalogue des Livres; some woodcuts in the text, 71 fine engraved plates and tables, many folding, a fine set.
First edition, complete of this printing of the Histoire and Memoires of the French Academie Royale des Sciences after its complete reorganisation and enlargement by Bignon in 1699.
The Academie des Sciences of Paris, like its counterpart, the Royal Society of London, began with regular meetings of a small group of French scientists and philosophers, including Descartes, Pascal and Fermat. The Academie, authorized by Louis XIV himself, held its first official meeting on December 22nd 1666, and from the beginning concerned itself exclusively with scientific subjects. It published a celebrated series, the ‘Histoire’ and ‘Memoires’, covering its early researches and investigations covering the years from 1699.
The Histoire covers Physique Generale, Physique Particuliere including Anatomie, Chimie, Botanique; Mathematique including Algebre et Geometrie, Astronomie, Geographie, Optique, Dioptrique, and Mechanique. The Memoires includes contributions by the Italian astronomer Cassini “Observations d’une Comete”, “Observation de l’Eclipse de Lune”, Malebranche, Bernoulli “Quadrature d’une infinite segmens”, “Barometres”, “Nouveau Phosphore”, “Arcs circulaires”, “le Calcul integral”, L’Hopital, Leibniz “Explication de l’Arithmetique Binaire”, Varignon, de la Hire, du Verney, de Lagny, Homberg, Tournefort “Observations sur les Plantes”, Dodart, de Littre, von Tschirnhaus, and de Fontenay.
Wolf, History of Science Technology & Philosophy, XVIth & XVIIth Centuries, pp.63-67. Linda Hall Library, Milestones in the History of Science, (1956) p.27. Thornton, Scientific Books, Libraries & Collectors, pp.264-265. Not in the British Library.