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John Arbuthnot and Isaac Newton. Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights, and Measures: Explain'd and Exemplify'd in Several Dissertations. J. Tonson, London, 1727.

Price: US$750.00 + shipping

Description: Quarto. [12] 327 pages, 18 leaves of tables (one folding), errata mounted to verso of page opposite the Preface. This volume includes plate 18 which was done by Sir Isaac Newton near the end of his life (Wallis, 'Newton & Newtoniana' #357) while he was Master of the British Mint (1700-1727); During Newton's tenure at the mint, he issued at least thirteen reports which like this one are all rare. Table 34 which is a fold-out of plate 18 is among his very last original works accomplished in his lifetime. While Newton is certainly best known for his scientific work in mathematics and physics, a large part of his working life was his time as Master of the Mint; in fact, his precise measurements enabled savings in the minting process. The previous system had not been uniform, his keen measurements enabled an exact weight in determining the number of grains in an ounce of gold with precision had not been available previous to his work. The table is also known in Scottish bibliographies for the section on Scottish Weights and Measurements. This copy has been rebound in red cloth, thus a worthy candidate for a full leather rebind. A fascinating work!

Seller: Jim Crotts Rare Books, LLC, Clemmons, NC, U.S.A.