Tabulae sinuum, tangentium et secantium, et logarithmi sinuum, tangentium, & numerorum ab unitate ad 10000 : cum methodo facillima, illarum ope, resolvendi omnia triangula rectilinea & sphaerica, & plurimas quaestiones astronomicas / ab A. Vlacq.
1670
Items
Details
Title
Tabulae sinuum, tangentium et secantium, et logarithmi sinuum, tangentium, & numerorum ab unitate ad 10000 : cum methodo facillima, illarum ope, resolvendi omnia triangula rectilinea & sphaerica, & plurimas quaestiones astronomicas / ab A. Vlacq.
Edition
Editio ultima emendata & aucta.
Created/published
Lugduni : Apud Ioannem Thioly ..., 1670.
Description
56, [282] p. : ill. ; 18 cm (8vo)
Associated name
Vlacq, Adriaan, 1600-1667, author.
Briggs, Henry, 1561-1630.
Briggs, Henry, 1561-1630.
Note
This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. The "FAST ACC" number is a temporary call number. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.
Based, in part at least, on the work of Henry Briggs (cf. Dict. scientific biography).
Based, in part at least, on the work of Henry Briggs (cf. Dict. scientific biography).
Place of creation/publication
France -- Lyon.
Item Details
Call number
FAST ACC 270960 (quarto)
Folger-specific note
Purchase made possible by The Eric and Mary Weinmann Acquisitions Fund. From dealer's description: Contemporary vellum, raised bands, title to spine and lower edge, light browning and minor spotting to text. Incised and inked quadrant to front board, with replacement cotton thread and wooden ball. Ownership inscription to the front endpaper has been scribbled out. A striking, and perhaps unique 17th-century scientific artefact, whose function and purpose remain an intriguing mystery. At first glance, incising an horary quadrant into the vellum cover of a book of logarithms appears a very elegant solution to performing celestial navigation while meeting the perennial need to save space during a voyage. However, in navigation, mathematical accuracy can be a matter of life and death. Vellum binding is vulnerable to physical fluctuations and therefore accurate quadrant function would be impossible. It seems too negligent of the mathematically proficient creator to rely on this hybrid instrument for such a critical task as celestial navigation. Alternatively, we may speculate that the binding could serve as a teaching aid for a budding apprentice or primarily for decoration, reminiscent of the scrimshaw popular among naval personnel to while away the long hours at sea. The binding is inscribed “Reg. 1693. 27 May”. Manuscript annotations to front paste-down record the details of the solar eclipse which occurred on the 22nd June 1694, and although difficult to read, they appear to state that the eclipse was calculated in advance. There are further manuscript annotations to pages 12, 14, and 19 all making calculations and directly related to the printed text or tables e.g. “* Prima, et ternis in una summa colligae : minutes h---? collectionis erit medius Arithmetici proportionalis….”The quadrant to the front cover has pin pricks to the surface which serve as guide points for the image. These resemble the pouncing technique in painting, and decorative flourishes to the instrument suggest that it was copied from a book illustration or from another quadrant thus far unidentified. Whether combining a scientific instrument with relevant written material is a highly logical, if ultimately impractical solution or an example of decorative flair remains unresolved. But, the ambiguity surrounding the purpose of its unusual creation only adds to the intrigue of this curious and possibly unique 17th-century object." Ordered from Dean Cooke, Manuscripts & Rare Books D 9243 2018-10-17, 2018 ABA Chelsea Book Fair, London, item 3.
Folger accession
270960