NEWTON, Isaac, Sir (1642-1727) - photo 1
NEWTON, Isaac, Sir (1642-1727) - photo 2
NEWTON, Isaac, Sir (1642-1727) - photo 3

NEWTON, Isaac, Sir (1642-1727)

Sold
£ 35 280
Auction dateClassic
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794550
Lot 171 | NEWTON, Isaac, Sir (1642-1727)
NEWTON, Isaac, Sir (1642-1727)

Opticks: or, a Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. Also Two Treatises of the Species and Magnitude and Curvilinear Figures. London: for Samuel Smith and Benjamin Wolford, 1704.

First edition, first issue of Newton's mathematical and experimental investigations into the nature of light and colour. Among its important results are his analysis of white light as a compound of pure colours and his full explanation of the spectrum of sunlight, the degrees of refraction associated with different colours, the colour circle, the rainbow, 'Newton's rings', his invention of the reflecting telescope, an analysis of interference effects, and the discovery of periodicity, which was to lead to wave theory.  All previous philosophers and mathematicians had seen white light as pure and simple, regarding colours as modifications or qualifications of white. In contrast, Newton proved that natural white light is a compound of many pure elementary colours which could be separated and recombined at will. ‘For over a century [the Opticks] remained a work of great authority, ‘supreme’ in Andrade's words, as a record of experiment and scientific deduction from experiment' (PMM). The book ends with two mathematical papers in Latin, published to establish Newton's prior claim over Leibniz in the discovery of the calculus. This copy is the first issue, with the title printed in red and black within a border and with the imprint, but without the author's name, and with the two treatises on calculus at the end of the work. Babson 132; Dibner Heralds of Science 148; Grolier/Horblit 79b; Norman 1588; PMM 172; Wallis 174.



Quarto (244 x 188mm). Title printed in red and black, 19 fold-out engraved plates (repaired tear in title without loss, neat repaired tear in D3, very minor spotting at extreme edge of some plates). Contemporary English blind-panelled calf, sprinkled edges (rebacked, a little worn). Provenance: Hastings Literary and Scientific Institution (bookplates dated 1839-1840) – armorial bookplate with text erased.





Special notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2022 – 13.07.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

[NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727)].
[NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727)].
£25 000
[NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727)] – Nathaniel HAWES (d. 1700)
[NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727)] – Nathaniel HAWES (d. 1700)
£5 000
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)
£350 000
Newton,I.
Newton,I.
€4 500
NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727).
NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727).
£1 000
Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light
Opticks: or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light
$100
NEWTON, Isaac (1643-1727)
NEWTON, Isaac (1643-1727)
£12 000
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)
£250 000

Related terms

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.