Cambridge Library Collection - Mathematics

A 1795-6 two-volume scientific encyclopaedia, with many historical and biographical entries, including good coverage of continental thinkers.

A thorough account of the roots and development of probability theory, published in 1865 by a distinguished Cambridge mathematician.

The influence of this 1859 work can still be traced in many modern treatments of differential equations and numerical analysis.

Published in 1802, the revised third edition of tables and instructions used by navigators at sea to determine their position.

Published in 1871, this collection comprises the influential first essay by mathematical physicist George Green (1793-1841) and nine further papers.

Reissued here in its 1815 sixth edition, this work gives a glimpse into the teaching of mathematics at Cambridge.

Published in 1896, this translation of a classic work of Greek geometry uses modern notation and includes considerable introductory material.

Originally published in 1921, this rigorous two-volume work traces ancient Greek mathematics from Thales of Miletus to Diophantus of Alexandria.

Originally published in 1921, this rigorous two-volume work traces ancient Greek mathematics from Thales of Miletus to Diophantus of Alexandria.

The collected works, in German, of the groundbreaking mathematician Bernhard Riemann (1826-66) first appeared in 1876.

Prefaced by a history of ancient Greek astronomy, this 1913 edition of Aristarchus' only surviving treatise includes a facing-page translation.

The 1839 English translation of an 1828 work on probability by Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874), pioneer of social statistics.

This two-volume (1880-6) teaching aid for the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos greatly influenced the education of Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920).

Published between 1896 and 1902, this revised two-volume textbook offers extensive coverage of statics, with formulae and examples throughout.

Published between 1896 and 1902, this revised two-volume textbook offers extensive coverage of statics, with formulae and examples throughout.

By the end of the eighteenth century, British mathematics had been stuck in a rut for a hundred years. Calculus was still taught in the style of Newton, with no recognition of the great advances made in continental Europe. The examination system at Cambridge even mandated the use of Newtonian notation. As discontented undergraduates, Charles Babbage (1791–1871) and John Herschel (1792–1871) formed the Analytical Society in 1811. The group, including William Whewell and George Peacock, sought to promote the new continental mathematics. Babbage's preface to the present work, first published in 1813, may be considered the movement's manifesto. He provided the first paper here, and Herschel the two others. Although the group was relatively short-lived, its ideas took root as its erstwhile members rose to prominence. As the society's sole publication, this remains a significant text in the history of British mathematics.

The genius of Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) and the novelty of his work (published in Latin, German, and occasionally French) in areas as diverse as number theory, probability and astronomy were already widely acknowledged during his lifetime. But it took another three generations of mathematicians to reveal the true extent of his output as they studied Gauss' extensive unpublished papers and his voluminous correspondence. This posthumous twelve-volume collection of Gauss' complete works, published between 1863 and 1933, marks the culmination of their efforts and provides a fascinating account of one of the great scientific minds of the nineteenth century. An invaluable source in tracing Gauss' development is his scientific diary, which was only discovered in 1898. Volume 10 Part I, published in 1917, contains a photographic reproduction of this manuscript and a detailed commentary, together with many letters about pure mathematics, and shorter works including a preface to Piazzi.

The genius of Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) and the novelty of his work (published in Latin, German, and occasionally French) in areas as diverse as number theory, probability and astronomy were already widely acknowledged during his lifetime. But it took another three generations of mathematicians to reveal the true extent of his output as they studied Gauss' extensive unpublished papers and his voluminous correspondence. This posthumous twelve-volume collection of Gauss' complete works, published between 1863 and 1933, marks the culmination of their efforts and provides a fascinating account of one of the great scientific minds of the nineteenth century. At the suggestion of Felix Klein, Gauss' twentieth-century successors planned a scientific biography consisting of essays covering the various areas in which he worked. Volume 10, Part II, (dated 1922–33) contains seven contributions, individually paginated and originally sold separately, relating to pure mathematics, probability

Few men in modern mathematics have had as great an impact as the Norwegian Niels Henrik Abel (1802–29), whose discoveries paved the way for several new branches of nineteenth-century mathematics. Tragically, Abel's short life was dominated by poverty and his scientific achievements were not fully recognised until after his death. This work, written by Carl Anton Bjerknes (1825–1903), was the first full biography of Abel. Originally published in 1880 and translated into French in 1885, it became a valuable resource for later Abel biographers and scholars of the history of mathematics. With insight and understanding, Bjerknes charts the progress of the talented young mathematician and gives a detailed account of Abel's work and his correspondence with other contemporary mathematicians. In particular, he examines in depth (from Abel's point of view) the dispute between Abel and his rival Jacobi relating to their discoveries of elliptic functions in the 1820s.