Existing comment:
Isaac Newton
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica
(London, 1687)
This first edition of what is commonly referred to as Newton's Principia constitutes one of the most momentous works in the Hinkes Collection. Written in Latin and printed in London, this particular copy is exceptionally rare, for it is one of a small number that bears the manuscript inscription of its original owner on the title page, in this case one "Jacob Burn."
Here, the reader encountered for the first time in a single place Newton's three laws of motion, as well as his immensely important law of gravitation. The so-called "Scolium Generale," Newton's more general, encompassing, and philosophical conclusion to this work, which would go on to make his physical laws far more widely known and accessible that the dense 1687 Principia, did not appear in print until a quarter-century later in the second edition of this work in 1713. |