Bookvica

[ LOBACHEVSKY’S GEOMETRY ] Pangeometriya [i.e. Pangeometry] Uchionye zapiski, izdavaemye Imperatorskim Kazanskim Universitetom

[Lobachevsky, N.I.]

Item #425

Kazan: University press, 1856. 4to. Contemporary owner’s wrappers. Fine.

First edition of the last work on non-Euclidean geometry by the ‘Copernicus of Geometry’.

Nikolay Lobachevsky (1792-1856) without a doubt was one of the brightest minds that came out of Russian scientific field in the last 300 years. His groundbreaking critics of Euclid principles came out in a small university paper in Kazan in 1829-30. Although now it’s obvious that that particular theory was Lobachevsky’s main scientific achievement, he was writing papers and books on other topics: algebra, pure mathematics, trigonometry, astronomy, etc.

All in all according to Kagan’s bibliography Lobachevsky has written 5 works on non-Euclidean geometry in his lifetime, all of them in periodicals.

This work sums up the theory how it was seen by Lobachevsky. Originally called ‘imaginary geometry’ he invented a new term that was used in the book - ‘pangeometry’. By writing it he made the main generalization: the standard, well-known Euclidean geometry is just the particular case of greater Pangeometry. By putting it into this context Lobachevsky opened the window of possibility of the existence of other geometric theories. He also perfected the geometry he constructed, completely exempted it of Euclid’s 5th postulate.

Extremely rare. No copies in US libraries according to Worldcat.

Sold