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Renowned optical and mathematical work by a noted apprentice and colleague of Peter Ramus

RISNER, Friedrich.
Opticae. Libri quatuor ex voto Petri Rami novissimo Fridericum Risnerum ejusdem in mathematicis adjutorem olim conscripti.

Ornamental woodcut initials, borders and head-and tailpieces and numerous woodcut figures in text.

Editio iterata. Kassel, Wilhelmus Wesselius, 1615. 4to. Later calf, spine ribbed, double gilt fillet border on both covers. Ornamental woodcut initials, borders and head-and tailpieces and numerous woodcut figures in text. (20), 259 (1 blank) pp.

First edition, second issue of a renowned optical and mathematical work by Friedrich Risner (?-ca. 1650), apprentice and colleague of Peter Ramus, the famous anti-Aristotelian humanist and educational reformer.
Risner's mathematical abilities were much appraised by Ramus, who even, in his will, established a chair in mathematics at the Collège Royal de France, with Risner as its first ocuupant. The most significant result of the collaboration between Risner and Ramus was the publication of the optical works of Ibn al-Haytham, in Latin Alhazen who worked at Cairo in the first half of the eleventh century, and Witelo, in Latin Vitello, a Polish scientist of the second half of the 13th century. Risner produced the editio princeps of Alhazen's Optics, adding citations and subdividing the book in propositions, all based on two manuscripts discovered by Ramus. Alhazen's work preserved all that was known by the ancients in the filed of optics, and by his own observations and corrections established the science upon new foundations, and made it into an organized discipline. The Perspectiva by Witelo were already earlier published, but Risner issued an improved text by comparing several manuscripts, redrafting figures and adding references to the corresponding propositions in Alhazen's Optics.
Risner's own Optics were posthumously published and were of a great influence, namely on Snell. Risner started working on his Opticae during the early years of his association with Ramus, and the latter one was problably the basic outliner of the work, whereas Risner was in charge of providing the appropriate demonstrations and discussions. In the book many ancient and medieaval authors are cited, but it mainly depends on Witelo. Our copy is one of the 'editio iterata', a re-issue of the first and only edition. This issue of 1615 is nowhere recorded.

Good copy.- (Spine restored; covers slightly damaged; rather browned).

Cf. Vagnetti Aa 07; See also: DSB 12 (New York 1981), p. 468; Poggendorff II, 648; not in Honeyman Coll.; not in Houzeau-Lancaster; not in Weil; NUC lists no copies.

Related Subjects: Games & Pastimes Mathematics Science

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