THE FOUNDATION OF ANALYTICAL MECHANICS

LA GRANGE (LAGRANGE).

Méchanique Analytique.

Paris, Chez la Veuve Desaint, 1788.

4to. Beautiful contemporary full mottled calf with richly gilt spine and gilt borders to boards. Double gilt line-borders to edges of boards. Binding with wear, especially to capitals, corners, and hinges - binding still tight, though. A tear to lower front hinge and small lack of leather to upper capital as well as corners. (a2&3) loose, but intact, present, and NOT supplied from another copy. Very minor scattered brownspotting to a few leaves, otherwise very fine and clean. In spite of wear, a nice and tight copy, which is completely unrestored. XII,512 pp.

First edition of Lagrange's masterpiece, "which laid the foundation of modern mechanics, and which occupies a place in the history of the subject second only to that of Newton's Principia". (Wolf). In "Méchanique Analytique" Lagrange reformulated classical Newtonian mechanics in a purely analytical manner, whereas Newton derived his results geometrically, or synthetically, with the aid of figures.

"Lagrange proposed to reduce the theory of mechanics and the art of solving problems in that field to general formulas, the mere development of which would yield all the equations necessary for the solution of every problem." (DSB). In his preface, Lagrange draws attention to the absence of diagrams in the book, which he believed the lucidity of his own presentation had rendered superfluous.

Horblit/Grolier 61; Dibner 112; Sparrow 120; Norman 1257.

Order-nr.: 53843