NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727) - photo 1
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727) - photo 2
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727) - photo 3
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727) - photo 4

NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)

Lot 170
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 680 400
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794384
Lot 170 | NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)
Estimate value
£ 350 000 – 500 000
NEWTON, Sir Isaac (1642-1727)

Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica. Edited by Edmond Halley (1656-1743). London: Joseph Streater for the Royal Society [at the expense of Edmond Halley], to be sold by various booksellers, 1687.

First edition of ‘the greatest work in the history of science’ (PMM); ‘perhaps the greatest intellectual stride that it has ever been granted to any man to make’ (Einstein). The Principia elucidates the universal physical laws of gravitation and motion which lie behind phenomena described by Newton's predecessors Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler. Newton establishes the mathematical basis for the motion of bodies in unresisting space (the law of inertia); the motion of fluids and the effect of friction on bodies moving through fluids; and, most importantly, sets forth the law of universal gravitation and its unifying role in the cosmos. ‘For the first time a single mathematical law could explain the motion of objects on earth as well as the phenomena of the heavens. … It was this grand conception that produced a general revolution in human thought, equalled perhaps only by that following Darwin's Origin of Species’ (PMM). Newton’s scientific views were not seriously challenged until Einstein's theory of relativity and Planck's quantum theory, and his principles and methods remain essential for the solution of many scientific questions.



Halley encouraged the ‘Incomparable’ Newton to write the Principia (Newton acknowledges his contribution in the preface) and saw the work through the press, even bearing the cost of printing, since the Royal Society's funds had been depleted. The printing history of the Principia is well documented, and two issues are distinguished, based on the two states of the title-page: one with a 2-line imprint, as here, and one with a 3-line imprint naming the bookseller Samuel Smith, each reflecting domestic versus foreign distribution. The present copy belongs to the issue for distribution in Britain (two-line imprint), traditionally designated the first; Halley and Newton sold it through a number of unnamed booksellers. The other, smaller, issue was largely turned over to Samuel Smith for distribution on the continent and required a cancel-title (three-line imprint). The edition was divided between two compositors working concurrently, one setting the first two books, the other setting the third. W. Todd has identified a number of stop-press corrections, but they cannot be related to either issue.



Babson 6; Dibner 11; Grolier/Horblit 78 (‘the most influential scientific publication of the seventeenth century’); PMM 161; A.N.L. Munby, ‘The two title-pages of Newton's Principia’ in Notes and Records of the Royal Society 10 (1952); W. Todd's bibliography in Koyré & Cohen's ed. of Newton's Principia II, 851-3; Norman 1586 (3-line imprint title); PMM 161; Wallis 6; Wing N-1048.



Quarto (245 x 186mm). Folding engraving of cometary orbit bound at p.496, numerous woodcut diagrams. Title in first, 2-line imprint, state, uncancelled; P4 cancel correcting orientation of the diagram on verso, errata at end (without final blank Ooo4 as usual, paper flaw repaired in C1, occasional small spot or stain, faint occasional marginal dampstain from quire Zz, small marginal tear in Aaa1). Contemporary panelled calf, red sprinkled edges (rebacked, lightly restored, new endpapers); modern red morocco-backed box. Provenance: an early hand has incorporated corrections from the errata leaf (annotation occasionally just shaved) – other occasional annotation – discreet erasure on title verso.





Special Notice


No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
Artist:Isaac Newton (1643 - 1727)
Place of origin:Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom
Auction house category:Printed books
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)]
£70 000
La methode des fluxions
La methode des fluxions
$100
NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727)
NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727)
€1 500
Newton , I,
Newton , I,
€600
[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,I.
Newton,I.
€4 500
NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727).
NEWTON, Isaac (1642-1727).
£1 000

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.