LA HIRE, Philippe de. Sectiones Conicae in novem libris distributae.Paris, Michallet, 1685

Folio, mm. 360x250; contemporary stiff vellum binding, gilt title on piece to the back; pp. [8], 249 [i.e.247], [1], p. 246-247 omitted in the numbering; Beautiful woodcut headpiece and numerous geometric figures in the text, eighteenth bookplate of Count Riccati pasted into inside cover, stamp of extinguished library on the title-page.

Rare original edition. This important work was later re-edited several times in the following decades. DSB: “La Hire summarized the progress achieved in analytic geometry during half a century and contributed some interesting ideas, among them the possible extension of space to more than three dimensions.” Cajori: “He wrote three works on conic sections, published in 1673, 1679 and 1685. La Hire gave the polar properties of circles and, by projection transferred his polar theory from the circle to the conic sections. In the construction of maps De La Hire used ‘globular’ projection in which the eye is not at the pole of the sphere, as in the Ptolemaic stereographic projection, but on the radius produced through the pole at a distance r sin 45° outside the sphere. Globular projection has the advantage that everywhere on the map there is approximately the same degree of exageration of distances. … His work on conic sections is purely sinthetic, but differs from ancient treatises in deducing the properties of conics from those of the circle in the same manner as did Desargues and Pascal. His innovations stand in close relation with modern synthetic geometry.” Da pagina 220 inizia con propria intitolazione: Exspositio brevis singularum propositionum Conicorum Apollonii Pergaei. Gillispie, D.S.B., VII, p. 577-579; Honeyman, n. 1886; Cajori, A History of Mathematics, p. 167 e 280. Some browned page, but fine specimen with wide margins. Il lotto viene venduto provvisto di licenza d'esportazione.The Lot is offered with a valid export licence.