De viribus vivis dissertatio - photo 1

De viribus vivis dissertatio

Lot 9
27.01.2023 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 3 528
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 887782
Lot 9 | De viribus vivis dissertatio
Estimate value
$ 3 500 – 6 000
[BOSCOVICH, Ruggero Giuseppe (1711-1787).] De viribus vivis dissertatio. Rome: Typis Komarek in via Cursis, 1745.

First edition, first issue of Boscovich’s earliest published work on his dynamic point theory, the first seeds of atomic physics. Boscovich’s dynamic point theory was "the first general mathematical theory of atomism" (Whyte); the present publication, on the living force (vis viva) is Boscovich's first statement of his universal source law. It was the precursor to his magnum opus, Philosophiae naturalis theoria, which was praised by Faraday, Maxwell, and Heisenberg. That work (see lot 11) "is now recognized as having exerted a fundamental influence on modern mathematical physics ... As the title of his book implies, he considered that a single law was the basis of all natural phenomena and of the properties of matter; that the multiplicity of physical forces was only apparent and due to inadequate mathematical knowledge" (PMM).

Inspired by the work of Leibniz and Newton, Boscovich came to a radically new understanding of the nature of physics. "In Boscovich’s natural philosophy the “first elements” of matter became mere points – real, homogeneous, simple, indivisible, without extension, and distinguished from geometric points only by their possession of inertia and their mutual interaction. Extended matter then becomes the dynamic configuration of a finite number of centers of interaction. Many historians have seen in Boscovich’s derivation of matter from forces an anticipation of the concept of the field, an anticipation still more clearly formulated very much later by Faraday in 1844. Matter, then, is not a continuum, but a discontinuum. Mass is the number of points in the volume, and drops out of consideration as an independent entity" (DSB). There are two issues of this publication, an academic one as here, and a commercial one, the latter containing a differing imprint and also naming Boscovich as the author. A comparison of the two makes clear that both were printed from the same standing type, apart from the title page. This copy has manuscript corrections to the text on pages V, IX, and XXXIX, as in the BSB copy. Riccardi I.1 174 n 21; Sommervogel I 1832 n 22; see PMM 203, Whyte in Roger Joseph Boscovich ... Studies of his life and work (1961).

Quarto (219 x 156mm). Folding engraved plates, woodcut Jesuit emblem on title (some light spotting). Later plain wrapper.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.01.2023 – 27.01.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

De inaequalitatibus quas Saturnus et Jupiter
De inaequalitatibus quas Saturnus et Jupiter
$100
Philosophiae naturalis theoria
Philosophiae naturalis theoria
$100

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>