DI GALILEO GALILEI IL COMPASSO GEOMETRICO, Advlto Per Opero di Giacomo Lusuergh. 0Novamente Stampate.

RARE. An early printing of Galileo's great work, his first published book. With a large folding woodcut plate of the compasso and with woodcut geometrical and mathematical illustrations on folding plates at the end of the text. 12mo, bound in contemporary vellum, manuscript calligraphic lettering to the spine panel. 202, xx, [1], large folding plate and six additional folding plates pp. A crisp, clean and very well preserved copy of this rare and highly important work by the great scientist, astronomer, physicist and mathematician. Some expected mellowing to the leaves.

Edizione: rare. galieo’s first scientific work. the compasso geometrico is galileo’s seminal work on the compass and it’s use in scientific and military enterprise and research. it was first published in 1606, privately printed by galileo himself, and is a book of legendary rarity.<br> the compass of proportion as developed by galileo was the first important mechanical calculating device. galileo's instrument was a general purpose mechanical calculator capable of solving any practical mathematical problem likely to arise--swiftly, simply and withh out requiring previous mathematical education, and sufficiently accurate for ordinary practical purposes. no previously known instrument had accomplished anything quite like that. <br> something of the importance to society of such an invention as galileo's can be grasped from the modern introduction of the electronic pocket calculator. it was the pocket calculator which suddenly made it possible for nearly everyone to deal effectively with almost any problem arising in practical matters by following rather simple instructions. the effects on society are already noticeable after only a few decades. a similar phenomenon occurred early in the 17th century with the rapid spread of galileo's compass of proportion.