Essays on the Theory of Numbers.: I. Continuity and Irrational Numbers. II. The Nature and Meaning of Numbers. Authorized translation by Wooster Woodruff Beman.
by DEDEKIND, Richard
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
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London, United Kingdom
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About This Item
Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company,, 1901. A milestone of mathematical logic First edition in English, first printing, of the German mathematician's essays on the logical foundations of numerical systems. The two essays were originally published as "Stetigkeit und irrationale Zahlen" (1872) and "Was sind und was sollen die Zahlen?" (1888) and include the first discussion of the Dedekind cut, now the standard definition of real numbers. Dedekind (1831-1916) was a pioneer in the development of modern set theory and the philosophy of mathematics. He developed the present theories when he was lecturing in Zurich in 1858, during which he noted the need for a purely scientific foundation of arithmetic; the resulting essays constitute a significant moment in the shift from geometric to algebraic mathematical reasoning. They "exerted a strong influence on subsequent research in the foundations of mathematics" and "laid the foundations for much of modern-day real analysis and point-set topology" (Ewald, pp. 787 & 766). Provenance: with the ink ownership signature of "B. J. McCartin" on the front free endpaper. Brian J. McCartin (1951-2016) was Professor of Applied Mathematics at Kettering University. McCartin solved a problem of linear regression first noted by Sir Francis Galton by extending Karl Pearson's "geometrical solution to include unequal variances in the data [using] the ancient Greek geometry of the ellipse" (Hibbard, online). Octavo. Original red cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, top edge gilt. With 4 pp. publisher's advertisements at rear. Contemporary ink ownership signature of one "Geo: Hurrell" dated August 1901 on front free endpaper. Covers marked, spine ends and corners slightly bumped, faint foxing to endpapers, residue from label removal to front pastedown, occasional pencil annotations to contents: a very good copy. William Ewald, From Kant to Hilbert: A Source Book in the Foundations of Mathematics, vol. II, 1999; Dawn Hibbard, "100-year-old statistics problem solved - beautifully", Kettering University News, accessible online.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 165821
- Title
- Essays on the Theory of Numbers.
- Author
- DEDEKIND, Richard
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company,
- Date Published
- 1901
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Peter Harrington
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About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
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- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Top Edge Gilt
- Top edge gilt refers to the practice of applying gold or a gold-like finish to the top of the text block (the edges the pages...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...