Geometria by Rene Des Cartes

Geometria, à Renato Des Cartes Anno 1637 Gallicè edita; nunc autem Cum Notis Florimondi de Beaune, In Curiâ Blaesensi Consiliarii Regii, In linguam Latinam versa, & commentariis illustrata, Operá atque studio Francisci à Schooten, Leydensis, in Academiâ Lugduno-Batavâ, Matheseos Professoris, Belgicè docentis. Lugduni Batavorum (Leiden): Ex Officinâ Ioannis Maire, 1649. First separate and first Latin edition of “La Géometrie”. 18th-century leather binding with spine lettering, wear to corners and ends but binding is firm. Occasional foxing. The previous owner was John Fitzwilliam (died 1699) who was elected fellow of Magdalen in 1661 and became the librarian there in 1662. He would become tutor to Lady Rachel Wriothesley, later Lady Russell, whose husband Lord Russel was executed under the Rhy House Plot to assassinate King Charles II. The work for a time, was part of the private library of Makree Castle in Collooney, Ireland but was later owned by the celebrated collector philanthropist Harrison Horblit. “The work was the first to propose the idea of uniting algebra and geometry into a single subject and invented an algebraic geometry called analytic geometry, which involves reducing geometry to a form of arithmetic and algebra and translating geometric shapes into algebraic equations. For its time, this was ground-breaking. It also contributed to the mathematical ideas of Leibniz and Newton and was thus important in the development of calculus.”