Search Results: Authors starting with U from SOPHIA RARE BOOKS

Cölln an der Spree: Martin Guthius, 1618. LOGARITHMS COME TO EUROPE. First edition, exceptionally rare, of the book that introduced logarithms to Continental Europe; in particular, it was through this work that Johannes Kepler, in 'a happy calamity,' as he called it, became aware of Napier's epoch-making work, a discovery that enabled him to complete his great Rudolphine Tables (1627), "the foundation of all planetary calculations for over a century" (Sparrow). "The earliest publication of Napier's logarithms on the Continent was in 1618, when Benjamin Ursinus included an excerpt from the canon, shortened by two places, in his Cursus mathematici practici. Through this work Kepler became aware of the importance of Napier's discovery and expressed his enthusiasm in a letter to Napier dated 28 July 1619, printed in the dedication of his Ephemerides (1620)" (DSB, under Napier). Ursinus assisted Kepler with the computations for the Rudolphine Tables, and Kepler presented and inscribed a copy to Ursinus… Read More