
Description
Nobile Florentino Accademico Linceo
GIA LETTORE DELLE MATEMATICHE NELLE VNIUERSITA DI PISA, E DI PADOUA, DI POI SOPRAORDINARIO NELLO STUDIO DI PISA.
PRIMARIO FILOSOFO, E MATEMATICO DEL SERENISSIMO GRAN DUCA DI TOSCANA.
Florence, Per Gio. Gaetano Tartini, e Santi Franchi; 1718
3 volumes.
Vol. 1: cxii 628 [i.e. 644] pp.
Portrait of Galileo and a folded plate.
Vol. 2: [viii] 722 [2] pp.
Vol. 3: [vi] 484 [52] pp.
Second collective edition of Galilei's Opere , edited by Tommaso Bonaventura.
The first two volumes replicate with some additions the same texts of the Bologna edition of 1655-1656, while the third volume contains a series of unpublished writings, including the treatise on probability "On the discovery of dice".
With engraved frontispiece portrait of Galileo, engraved vignette with view of Florence on first title page; with title page printed in red and black, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, numerous woodcut diagrams, astronomical renderings, and mathematical tables, folding engraved plate of compass.
Vellum binding with gold decorations and title on the 2 spines (third label is missing).
Very good condition
Text in Italian
RARE EDITION OF GALILEO'S COMPLETE WORKS (excepting the DIALOGO, which was still on the Index of Prohibited Books at the time), preserves a record of some of the most seminal discoveries in astronomy, scientific methodology, mathematics, primary work in the study of motion, as well as the most significant support of the Copernican theory of a heliocentric planetary systemin other words, the embodiment of the "Galilean Revolution."
This issue of the OPERE, contains an entire volume of Galileo s writings which appear here for the first time, having never before been printed.
Included are :
GIORNATA SESTA DEI DISCORSI E DIMOSTRAZIONI, as well as other works such as
LETTERE IN PROPOSITO DI TROVARE LE LONGITUDINI,
NOTE SOPRA IL NUNZIO SIDEREO,
LA OPERAZIONI ASTRONOMICHE ,
RISPOSTA ALLE OPPOSITIONI , Galileo s work on virtual velocity;
DISCORSO AL SERENISSIMO DON COSIMO II, on floating bodies and expanding greatly on the work of Archimedes;
DIFESA, his first work of Astronomy;
LE OPERATIONI DEL COMPASSO GEOMETRICO, E MILITARE, the seminal work on the compass and it s use in scientific and military enterprise.
In 1610 Galileo published his SIDEREUS NUNCIUS (included here), in which he described the construction of his telescope and his observations using the new instrument.
His discoveries did not prove that Copernicus's heliocentric theory was correct, but they did show that geocentric philosophy of Aristotle and the geocentric system proposed by Ptolemy were incorrect, providing strong evidence for the heliocentric theoryan implausible theory which had largely been ignored for sixty years after Copernicus's death. His new support for the Copernican system reopened the controversy, and in 1615 he was officially silenced as regards the truth of astronomy.
" Astronomy and the science of motion, rightly understood, says Galileo, are hand in glove. There is no need to fear that the earth's rotation will cause it to fly to pieces" (PMM).
Galileo pioneered the study of motion and its mathematical analysis, a field which was taken up by Decartes and Huygens and culminated in the "massive achievements of Newton in dynamics and gravitational astronomy". "Galileo, more than any other man, had introduced the change in our manner of thinking that broke with ancient and led on to modern science. Contributions had also been made by Cope.
Reserve: $4,763.00
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1718 GALILEO GALILEI 3 volumes OPERE illustrated VELLUM BOUND antique SCARCE
Estimate $5,500-$7,000
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Antique books 15th-19th Century
Feb 05, 2026 6:00 PM ESTNew York, NY, United States
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