A View of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy

First Edition. Quarto. [50], 407 pp. With twelve folding engraved plates, twelve engraved vignettes and five historiated initials by J. Pine after J. Grison.

 

Contemporary sprinkled calf, spine with raised bands and red morocco gilt spine label, gilt board edges. Some wear to joints with a crack forming at the lower front joint, tear to fore-margin of pp. 159/60 (just into text but not affecting text). Overall, a very good copy.

 

FIRST EDITION of Pemberton's explanation of Newtonianism, especially written for a general audience without mathematical training. The work remains one of the most important sources on Newton's later years, written by a close friend and one who was invited by Newton to edit the third edition of the Principia. In the list of subscribers Sir Isaac Newton is recorded as having ordered 12 books. Babson 98. Willis, Newton and Newtoniana, 132.

 

Typographically this volume is noteworthy as the first book printed in any of Caslon’s roman types and was most probably conceived of as an advertisement for the new type. A fine production.