Antiquarian science books are original historical
works (e.g., books or technical papers) concerning
science, mathematics and sometimes engineering.
These books are important primary references
for the study of the history of science and
technology, they can provide valuable insights
into the historical development of the various
fields of scientific inquiry (History of science,
History of mathematics, etc.)
The landmark are significant first (or early)
editions typically worth hundreds or thousands
of dollars (prices may vary widely based on
condition, etc.).
Reprints of these books are often available,
for example from Great Books of the Western
World, Dover Publications or Google Books.
Incunabula are extremely rare and valuable,
but as the "scientific revolution" is only
taken to have started around the 1540s, such
works of Renaissance literature (including
alchemy, Renaissance magic, etc.) are not
usually included under the notion of "scientific"
literature. Printed originals of the beginning
scientific revolution thus date to the 1540s
or later, notably beginning with the original
publication of Copernican heliocentrism. Nicolaus
Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
of 1543 sold for more than US$2 million at
auctions.
== List of notable books ==
16th centuryFuchs, Leonhart. De Historia Stirpium
Commentarii Insignes. Basel, 1542. Botany.
Copernicus, Nicolaus. De revolutionibus orbium
coelestium. Wittenberg, 1543. Copernican heliocentrism.
Vesalius, Andreas. De humani corporis fabrica
(On the Structure of the Human Body). Basel,
1543. Anatomy.
Cardano, Gerolamo. Artis magnae sive de regulis
algebraicis (The Art of Solving Algebraic
Equations). Nuremberg, 1545. Algebra.
Brunfels, Otto. Kreuterbüch, 1546. Botany.
Bock, Hieronymus. Kreutterbuch. Strasbourg,
1552. Botany.
Paracelsus. Theil der grossen Wundartzney.
Frankfurt, 1556. Medicine.
Agricola, Georgius. De re metallica. Basel,
1561. Mineralogy.
Regiomontanus. De triangulis planis et sphaericis
libri quinque. Basel, 1561. Trigonometry.
Bombelli, Rafael. Algebra. 1569/1572. Imaginary
numbers.
Bruno, Giordano. De l'infinito, universo e
mondi. 1584 Cosmology.
Viète, François. In artem analyticam isagoge
(Introduction to the Analytical Art). Tours,
1591. Algebra.
17th centuryGilbert, William. De Magnete.
London, 1600 Magnetism
Galilei, Galileo. Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry
Messenger). Frankfurt, 1610. Astronomy
Napier, John. Mirifici logarithmorum canonis
descriptio, 1614. Logarithms
Kepler, Johannes. Harmonices Mundi. Linz,
1619. Celestial mechanics
Bacon, Francis. Novum Organum. London, 1620.
Experimentation
Descartes, René. Discours de la Methode / La
Geometrie. Leiden, 1637 Analytical geometry
Fermat, Pierre de. Methodus ad disquirendam
maximam et minimam, 1638. Calculus
Galilei, Galileo. Discorsi e dimostrazioni
matematiche, intorno a due nuove scienze.
Leiden, 1638. Classical dynamics
Desargues, Gérard. Brouillon-project d'une
atteinte aux evenemens des rencontres du cone
avec un plan, 1639. Projective geometry.
Harvey, William. Exercitatio Anatomica de
Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus (Anatomical
Exercises, Concerning the Heart and Blood)
London, 1653. Circulatory system
Wallis, John. Arithmetica infinitorum, 1655.
Calculus
Boyle, Robert. The Sceptical Chymist. London,
1661. Chemistry
Pascal, Blaise. Traitez de l'Equilibre des
Liqueurs, et de la Pesanteur de la Masse de
l'Air. Paris, 1663. Fluid statics
Gregory, James. Optica Promota, 1663. Optics
Hooke, Robert. Micrographia. London, 1665.
Microscopy
Steno, Nicolas. De Solido intra Solidum Naturaliter
Contento Dissertationis Prodromus. Florence,
1669. Stratigraphy
Barrow, Isaac. Lectiones geometricae, 1670.
Calculus
von Guericke, Otto. Experimenta Nova (ut vocantur)
Magdeburgica de Vacuo Spatio. Magdeburger
Halbkugeln, 1672. Experimental physics
Fermat, Pierre de. Ad locus planos et solidos
isagoge, 1679. Analytic geometry
Leibniz, Gottfried. Nova Methodus pro Maximis
et Minimis, 1684. Calculus
Newton, Isaac. Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia
Mathematica. London, 3 Vol, 1687. Classical
mechanics
Huygens, Christiaan. Traité de la Lumière.
Leiden, 1690. Optics
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Specimen Dynamicum.
Vienna, 1695. Classical mechanics
van Leeuwenhoek, Antonie. Arcana Naturae,
Ope & Beneficio Exquisitissimorum Microscopiorum.
Leiden, 1696. Microbiology
l'Hôpital, Guillaume de. Analyse des infiniment
petits. Paris, 1696. Calculus
18th centuryNewton, Isaac (England). Opticks.
London, 1704. Optics
Taylor, Brook (England). Methodus Incrementorum
Directa et Inversa, 1715. Taylor series
Linnaeus, Carl (Sweden). Systema Naturae.
Netherlands, 1735. Linnaean taxonomy
Bernoulli, Daniel (Netherlands). Hydrodynamica.
Strasbourg, 1738, Fluid dynamics
d'Alembert, Jean le Rond (France). Réflexions
sur la cause générale des vents, 1747. Complex
numbers
Euler, Leonhard (Switzerland). Introductio
in analysin infinitorum. Lausanne, 1748. Mathematical
analysis
Franklin, Benjamin (America). Experiments
and Observations on Electricity. London/Philadelphia,
1751. Electricity
Bayes, Thomas (England). An Essay towards
solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances.
London, 1763. Inverse probability
Volta, Alessandro (Italy). De vi attractiva
ignis electrici, ac phaenomenis inde pendentibus,
1799. Electricity
Smith, Adam (Scotland). An Inquiry into the
Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
London, 2 Vol, 1776. Capitalism
Monge, Gaspard (France). Sur la théorie des
déblais et des remblais, 1781. Descriptive
geometry.
Lagrange, Joseph (Italy). Mécanique analytique.
Paris, 1788. Dynamics
Hutton, James (Scotland). Theory of the Earth.
Edinburgh, 1788. Geology
Lavoisier, Antoine (France). Traité Élémentaire
de Chimie (Elements of Chemistry). Paris,
2 Vol, 1789. Chemistry
Galvani, Luigi (Italy). De viribus electricitatis
in motu musculari commentarius Bologna, 1791.
Electricity
Legendre, Adrien-Marie (France). Essai sur
la théorie des nombres. Paris, 1798. Number
theory
Jenner, Edward (England). An Inquiry into
the Causes and Effects of the Variolæ Vaccinæ.
1798. Immunology
Wessel, Caspar (Norway). Om directionens analytiske
betegning. Copenhagen, 1799. Imaginary numbers
Ruffini, Paolo (Italy). Teoria generale dele
equazioni, in cui si dimostra impossibile.
La soluzione algebraica delle equazioni generali
di grado superiore al quatro. Bologna, 1799.
Algebra
19th centuryGauss, Carl Friedrich (Germany).
Disquisitiones Arithmeticae. Leipzig, 1801.
Number theory
Young, Thomas (England). Experiments and Calculations
Relative to Physical Optics, 1803. Light
Argand, Jean-Robert (Switzerland). Essai sur
une maniere de representer les quantities
imaginaries dans les constructions geometriques,
1806. Imaginary numbers.
Dalton, John (England). A New System of Chemical
Philosophy. London, 1808. Atomic theory
Berzelius, Jöns Jacob (Sweden). Läroboken
i kemien, 1808. Chemistry
Cayley, George (England). On Aerial Navigation.
Brompton, 3 Vol, 1809. Aeronautics.
Ørsted, Hans Christian (Denmark). Experimenta
circa effectum conflictus electrici in acum
magneticam. Copenhagen, 1820. Electromagnetism.
Fourier, Joseph (France). Théorie Analytique
de la Chaleur. Paris, 1822. Fourier series.
Fresnel, Augustin-Jean (France). Mémoire
Sur Un Nouveau Système D'Éclairage Des Phares
Lu À L'Académie Des Sciences. Paris, 1822.
Wave optics
Babbage, Charles (England). Mr. Babbage's
invention: Application of machinery to the
purpose of calculating and printing mathematical
tables. London, 1823. Computing
Lobachevsky, Nikolai (Russia). Geometriya.
1823. Non-Euclidean geometry
Cauchy, Augustin-Louis (France). Le calcul
infinitesimal. Paris, 1823. Mathematical analysis
Carnot, Sadi (France). Réflexions sur la
Puissance Motrice du Feu et sur les machines
propres à déveloper cette puissance. Paris,
1824. Thermodynamics
Ampère, André-Marie (France). Mémoire sur
la théorie mathématique des phénomènes
électrodynamiques, 1827. Electromagnetism
Laplace, Pierre-Simon (France). Traité de
Mécanique Céleste. Paris, 1827. Classical
mechanics
Ohm, Georg (Germany). Die Galvanische Kette
mathematisch bearbeitet. Berlin, 1827. Electricity
Lyell, Charles (Scotland). Principles of Geology.
London, 1830. Geology
Poisson, Siméon Denis (France). Théorie
Mathématique de la Chaleur. Paris, 1835.
Heat transfer
Faraday, Michael (England). Experimental Researches
in Electricity. London, 1839-55. Electricity.
Babbage, Charles & Lovelace, Ada (England).
Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by
Charles Babbage (with additional notes by
Augusta Ada, Countess of Lovelace), 1843.
Computing
Joule, James P. (England). On the Calorific
Effects of Magneto-Electricity, and on the
Mechanical Value of Heat. London, 1843. Conservation
of energy
Hamilton, William Rowan (Ireland). On Quaternions.
London/Edinburgh/Dublin, 1844. Quaternions.
von Helmholtz, Hermann (Germany). Über die
Erhaltung der Kraft (On the Conservation of
Force). 1847. Conservation of energy
Clausius, Rudolf (Germany). Ueber die bewegende
Kraft der Wärme (On the Moving Force of Heat
and the Laws of Heat which may be Deduced
Therefrom). Leipzig, 1850. Laws of thermodynamics
Thomson, William (1st Baron Kelvin) (Scotland/Ireland).
On the dynamical theory of heat, with numerical
results deduced from Mr Joule's equivalent
of a thermal unit and M. Regnault's observations
on steam. Edinburgh, 1851. Thermodynamics
Boole, George (England). An Investigation
of the Laws of Thought. London, 1854. Boolean
algebra
Maury, Matthew Fontaine (America). The Physical
Geography of the Sea. New York, 1855. Oceanography
Virchow, Rudolf (Germany). Die Cellularpathologie
in ihrer Begründung auf physiologische und
pathologische Gewebelehre. 1858. Cellular
pathology
Darwin, Charles (England). On the Origin of
Species by Means of Natural Selection. London,
1859. Evolutionary biology
Pasteur, Louis (France). Memoire sur les corpuscules
organises qui existent dans l'atmosphere.
Paris, 1861. Microbiology.
Lejeune Dirichlet, P. G. (Germany). Vorlesungen
über Zahlentheorie. Braunschweig, 1863, Number
theory.
Bernard, Claude (France). Introduction à
l'étude de la médecine expérimentale. Paris,
1865. Physiology
Mendel, Gregor (Czech Republic/Austria). Versuche
über Pflanzen-Hybriden (Experiments on Plant
Hybridization). Brno, 1866. Genetics
Riemann, Bernhard (Germany). Ueber die Hypothesen,
welche der Geometrie zu Grunde liegen. Göttingen,
1868. Riemannian geometry
Beltrami, Eugenio (Italy). Saggio di interpretazione
della geometria non-euclidea (Essay on an
interpretation of non-Euclidean geometry),
1868. Hyperbolic geometry
Galton, Francis (England). Hereditary Genius:
An Inquiry into Its Laws and Consequences.
London, 1869, Statistics
Cohn, Ferdinand (Poland). Untersuchungen ueber
Bacterien. Breslau, 3 Vol, 1870. Bacteriology.
Darwin, Charles (England). The Descent of
Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. London,
1871. Evolutionary biology.
Marx, Karl (Germany). Das Kapital. St. Petersburg,
1872. Economics.
Maxwell, James Clerk (Scotland). A Treatise
on Electricity and Magnetism. Oxford, 2 Vol,
1873. Classical electromagnetism.
Koch, Robert (Germany). Untersuchungen uber
die aetiologie der wundinfectionskrankheiter.
Leipzig, 1878. Bacteriology.
Gibbs, Willard (America). On the Equilibrium
of Heterogeneous Substances. New Haven, 1878.
Physical chemistry
Michelson, Albert A. (America). Experimental
Determination of the Velocity of Light. Annapolis,
1880. Speed of light.
Abel, Niels Henrik (Norway). Oeuvres complètes,
1881. Mathematical analysis.
Zhukovsky, Nikolai (Russia). O protchnosti
dvizheniya (The Durability of Motion). Moscow,
1882. Aeronautics.
Cantor, Georg (Russia/Germany). Grundlagen
einer allgemeinen Mannigfaltigkeitslehre.
Leipzig, 1883. Set theory.
James, William (America). The Principles of
Psychology. New York, 1890. Psychology
Mendeleev, Dmitri (Russia). Principles of
Chemistry. London, 1891. Chemistry
Newcomb, Simon (America). Astronomical Papers
Prepared for the Use of the American Ephemeris
and Nautical Almanac. Washington, D.C., 1891.
Astronomy
Poincare, Henri (France). Les méthodes nouvelles
de la mécanique céleste. Paris, 1892. Celestial
mechanics
Tesla, Nikola (Croatia/America). Experiments
with Alternate Currents of High Potential
and High Frequency. New York, 1892. Electricity
Hertz, Heinrich (Germany). Untersuchungen
über die Ausbreitung der elektrischen Kraft
(Electric Waves). 1893. Electromagnetic radiation
Röntgen, Wilhelm (Germany). Ueber eine neue
Art von Strahlen (On A New Kind Of Rays).
1895. X-rays
Bolyai, János (Hungary). The Science of Absolute
Space. 1896. Non-Euclidean geometry
Galois, Évariste (France). Oeuvres Mathematiques
d'Évariste Galois. Paris, 1897. Group theory
Curie, Marie (Poland/France) & Curie, Pierre
(France). Sur une nouvelle substance fortement
radio-active, contenue dans la pechblende
(Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances
de l'Académie des Sciences). Paris, 1898.
Radioactivity
Hilbert, David (Germany). Grundlagen der Geometrie
(The Foundations of Geometry). 1899. Mathematics
Ramón y Cajal, Santiago (Spain). Textura
del sistema nervioso del hombre y los vertebrados
1899-1904. Neuroscience
20th century (pre-World War II)Planck, Max
(Germany). Zur Theorie des Gesetzes der Energieverteilung
im Normalspectrum. Leipzig, 1900. Quantum
mechanics
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich (Russia).
The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of
Reaction Devices. Kaluga, 1903. Rockets
Rutherford, Ernest (New Zealand). Radio-activity.
Cambridge, 1904. Nuclear physics
Lorentz, Hendrik (Netherlands). Electromagnetic
phenomena in a system moving with any velocity
smaller than that of light. Amsterdam, 1904.
Special relativity
Einstein, Albert (Germany). Zur Elektrodynamik
bewegter Körper ("On the Electrodynamics
of Moving Bodies") Leipzig, 1905>. Special
relativity
Einstein, Albert (Germany). Does the Inertia
of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?
Leipzig, 1905. Physics
Richardson, Lewis (England). The Approximate
Arithmetical Solution by Finite Differences
of Physical Problems Involving Differential
Equations, with an Application to the Stresses
in a Masonry Dam. London, 1910. Computational
mechanics
Boas, Franz (Germany/America). The Mind of
Primitive Man. New York, 1911. Anthropology
Bohr, Niels (Denmark). On the Constitution
of Atoms and Molecules. London, 1913. Quantum
mechanics
Einstein, Albert (Germany). Die Grundlage
Der Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie (Foundations
of the General Theory of Relativity). Leipzig,
1916. Physics.
Goddard, Robert Hutchings (America). A Method
of Reaching Extreme Altitudes. Washington,
D.C, 1919. Rockets
de Broglie, Louis (France). Recherches sur
la théorie des quanta (Research on Quantum
Theory), 1924. Wave-particle duality
Whitehead, Alfred North (England) and Russell,
Bertrand (England). Principia Mathematica.
Cambridge, 1925. Mathematics
Heisenberg, Werner (Germany). Über quantentheorestische
Umdeutung kinematischer und mechanischer Beziehungen.
Berlin, 1925. Quantum mechanics
Schrödinger, Erwin (Austria). Quantisierung
als Eigenwertproblem. Leipzig, 1926. Quantum
mechanics
Heisenberg, Werner (Germany). Über den anschaulichen
Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik
und Mechanik Berlin, 1927. Quantum mechanics
Pavlov, Ivan (Russia). Conditioned Reflexes.
New York, 1928. Classical conditioning
Oberth, Hermann (Romania). Wege zur Raumschiffahrt
(Ways to Spaceflight). Munich/Berlin, 1929.
Rockets
Hubble, Edwin (America). A Relation between
Distance and Radial Velocity among Extra-Galactic
Nebulae. Washington, D.C., 1929. Astrophysics
Dirac, Paul (England). The Principles of Quantum
Mechanics. Oxford, 1930. Quantum mechanics.
Gödel, Kurt (Czech Republic/America). On
formally undecidable propositions of Principia
Mathematica and related systems. Leipzig,
1931. Mathematical logic.
von Neumann, John (Hungary/America). Mathematische
Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik. 1932. Quantum
mechanics
Goddard, Robert Hutchings (America). Liquid
Propellant Rocket Development. Washington,
D.C., 1936. Rockets
Keynes, John Maynard (England). The General
Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.
London, 1936. Economics
Church, Alonzo (America). A Note on the Entscheidungsproblem.
Ann Arbor, 1936. Computer science.
Turing, Alan (England). On Computable Numbers,
with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem.
Cambridge, 1937. Computing
Dobzhansky, Theodosius (Ukraine/America).
Genetics and the Origin of Species. 1937.
Evolutionary biology
Shannon, Claude E. (America). A Symbolic Analysis
of Relay and Switching Circuits (Master's
thesis, MIT). 1937. Computing
Pauling, Linus (America). The Nature of the
Chemical Bond. Ithaca, 1939. Chemistry.
von Neumann, John (Hungary/America) & Morgenstern,
Oskar (Germany/America). Theory of Games and
Economic Behavior. Princeton, 1944. Game theory
