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Lot 69
GAUSS'S COPY OF SPINOZA'S FIRST BOOK, HIS TREATISE ON DESCARTES. SPINOZA, BARUCH. 1632-1677. Renati Des Cartes. Principiorum Philosophiae Pars I, Pars II, More Geometrico Demonstratae. Amsterdam: Jan Riewerts, 1663.
24 April – 4 May 2023, 12:00 EDT
Online, New YorkUS$40,000 - US$60,000
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GAUSS'S COPY OF SPINOZA'S FIRST BOOK, HIS TREATISE ON DESCARTES.
SPINOZA, BARUCH. 1632-1677. Renati Des Cartes. Principiorum Philosophiae Pars I, Pars II, More Geometrico Demonstratae. Amsterdam: Jan Riewerts, 1663.
4to (212 x 169 mm). Woodcut vignette to title; woodcut illustrations to text. Contemporary paper boards, light browning.
Provenance: Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855, autograph "C.F. Gauss 1794," manuscript shelf-mark "4550," label to upper cover "Gauss-Bibliothek 83"); stamps to title page "GAUSS-BIBLIOTHEK" and "Bibliothek der Königl. Sternwarte Göttingen," with deaccession stamp dated October 15, 1951, inside cover.
A UNIQUE ASSOCIATION OF THREE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST GEOMETRIC MINDS — A SUPERB UNTRIMMED COPY OF SPINOZA'S FIRST BOOK, ON RENE DESCARTES, FROM THE LIBRARY OF CARL GAUSS. "The father of analytic geometry," Descartes pioneered the application of algebraic methods to the problems of pure geometry in his 1637 work La Géométrie, published together with his Discours de la méthode. Descartes' landmark work was the foundation for the x-y ("Cartesian") coordinate system we use today, as well as introducing the name for "imaginary" numbers.
Gauss, who is often called "the Prince of Mathematicians," is deemed the greatest mathematician of modern times: among his many achievements, he is recognized as having been the first to conceive non-Euclidean geometries; and it was Gauss who both showed that "imaginary" numbers could be represented geometrically on a Cartesian coordinate grid and also proved Descartes' "Rule of Signs."
The most radical and iconoclastic philosopher of the 17th century, Spinoza is of course famous for his use of the deductive method of proof epitomized by Euclid's Elements, which informed not only his first book on Descartes (explicitly subtitled as "demonstrated according to geometrical method"), but also his posthumously published metaphysical masterwork, "Ethica" (similarly subtitled as "demonstrated in geometrical order").
The 1794 date in Gauss's copy of Spinoza's treatise on Descartes indicates that he acquired this book as 17-year-old university student — two years before his annus mirabilis (miracle year). In 1796, Gauss made major advances in number theory, and blended algebra and geometry to solve one of the great mathematical problems of antiquity, constructing a regular 17-sided polygon using only compass and straightedge.
Widely recognized as the first modern philosopher, Descartes' work sought to supersede the authority of Aristotle and to build philosophy on a new basis, with philosophy serving as a foundation for science. Descartes' Principles of Philosophy was in fact foundational for the construction of Spinoza's own philosophy, particularly with regard to the mind-body distinction and the conception of God as infinite substance.
A remarkable association copy of Spinoza's first book on Rene Descartes, belonging to Carl Gauss and signed by him, in exceptional condition, untrimmed in original paper boards.
References: Caillet 10312; Kingma/Offenberg, Bibliography of Spinoza's works, no. 1; Van der Ven Printing Spinoza. A Descriptive Bibliography..., Chapter 2; Wolf, p 650ff.
4to (212 x 169 mm). Woodcut vignette to title; woodcut illustrations to text. Contemporary paper boards, light browning.
Provenance: Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855, autograph "C.F. Gauss 1794," manuscript shelf-mark "4550," label to upper cover "Gauss-Bibliothek 83"); stamps to title page "GAUSS-BIBLIOTHEK" and "Bibliothek der Königl. Sternwarte Göttingen," with deaccession stamp dated October 15, 1951, inside cover.
A UNIQUE ASSOCIATION OF THREE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST GEOMETRIC MINDS — A SUPERB UNTRIMMED COPY OF SPINOZA'S FIRST BOOK, ON RENE DESCARTES, FROM THE LIBRARY OF CARL GAUSS. "The father of analytic geometry," Descartes pioneered the application of algebraic methods to the problems of pure geometry in his 1637 work La Géométrie, published together with his Discours de la méthode. Descartes' landmark work was the foundation for the x-y ("Cartesian") coordinate system we use today, as well as introducing the name for "imaginary" numbers.
Gauss, who is often called "the Prince of Mathematicians," is deemed the greatest mathematician of modern times: among his many achievements, he is recognized as having been the first to conceive non-Euclidean geometries; and it was Gauss who both showed that "imaginary" numbers could be represented geometrically on a Cartesian coordinate grid and also proved Descartes' "Rule of Signs."
The most radical and iconoclastic philosopher of the 17th century, Spinoza is of course famous for his use of the deductive method of proof epitomized by Euclid's Elements, which informed not only his first book on Descartes (explicitly subtitled as "demonstrated according to geometrical method"), but also his posthumously published metaphysical masterwork, "Ethica" (similarly subtitled as "demonstrated in geometrical order").
The 1794 date in Gauss's copy of Spinoza's treatise on Descartes indicates that he acquired this book as 17-year-old university student — two years before his annus mirabilis (miracle year). In 1796, Gauss made major advances in number theory, and blended algebra and geometry to solve one of the great mathematical problems of antiquity, constructing a regular 17-sided polygon using only compass and straightedge.
Widely recognized as the first modern philosopher, Descartes' work sought to supersede the authority of Aristotle and to build philosophy on a new basis, with philosophy serving as a foundation for science. Descartes' Principles of Philosophy was in fact foundational for the construction of Spinoza's own philosophy, particularly with regard to the mind-body distinction and the conception of God as infinite substance.
A remarkable association copy of Spinoza's first book on Rene Descartes, belonging to Carl Gauss and signed by him, in exceptional condition, untrimmed in original paper boards.
References: Caillet 10312; Kingma/Offenberg, Bibliography of Spinoza's works, no. 1; Van der Ven Printing Spinoza. A Descriptive Bibliography..., Chapter 2; Wolf, p 650ff.