14

Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise, Author's Presentation Copy to Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871)

London: John Murray, 1838.
Second edition, thick paper copy, octavo; inscribed by Babbage on title page, "To Sir John Herschel from the author," with Herschel library rubber stamp to title page; annotated by Herschel in pencil on pages 125 (square brackets, underlining and double exclamation points), 158 ("What handle would not be worn out or what wheel work destroyed by 200,000 million turns?"), 172 & 173 (marginalia erased on both pages but partially legible, "!!! Heaven save me from my friends"); a nicely preserved copy in original ribbed cloth, rebacked; ex libris RPI professor Dr. Sydney Ross (1915-2013), with his bookplate; 8 3/4 x 5 1/4 in.

In this work of natural theology, in which, in an effort to somehow reconcile science and the existence of a master deity (or perhaps master programmer), Babbage uses excerpted correspondence between Herschel and Charles Lyell, two other thinkers on these unanswerable questions. Darwin was influenced by Herschel's views whilst working on The Origin of Species; he quotes him in the preface of the work, evoking Herschel's phrase "the mystery of mysteries," alluded to by his title, and calling him, "one of our greatest philosophers." We may assume that "Heaven save me from my friends!" was aimed more at Babbage than the likes of Darwin.

See also lot 98, Herschel's work on his 40-foot telescope.

  • Notes: Ex libris Professor, Astronomer, Historian & Bibliophile Owen Gingerich.
  • Condition: Please contact us to request a condition report:
    Devon Eastland, Senior Specialist: [email protected]
    Grace Meschery-McCormack, Cataloguer: [email protected]


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