Difference between revisions of "Treatise of Algebra (Simpson)"

Latest revision as of 10:48, 16 May 2025

by Thomas Simpson

A Treatise of Algebra
Title page from A Treatise of Algebra, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.
Author	Thomas Simpson
Editor	{{{editor}}}
Translator	{{{trans}}}
Published	London: Printed for J. Nourse
Date	1767
Edition	Third, revised
Language	English
Volumes	{{{set}}} volume set
Pages	[10], 402
Desc.	12mo (20 cm.)
Location	Shelf N-3
	[[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]

Bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst, front pastedown.

Mathematican Thomas Simpson (1710–1761) was born on August 20, 1710 in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire.^[1].The title gives much of the descriptive information about what this book contains. Much like many of the mathematical works in the Wythe library, there is a focus on educational distillation of mathematical theorems into simplified forms. The prevalence of these type of mathematical texts in this collection speaks largely to Wythe's role as a teacher. ^[2]

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Problem XV, page 330.

Listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as "Simpson's Algebra. 8vo." This was one of the titles kept by Thomas Jefferson and later sold to the Library of Congress in 1815. Jefferson's copy no longer survives to conclusively verify the edition. The Brown Bibliography^[3] includes the 3rd edition (1767) published in London based on Millicent Sowerby's entry in Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson.^[4] George Wythe's Library^[5] on LibraryThing states, "Precise edition unknown. Possible editions were published by Nourse in 1745, 1755, 1767, 1775, and 1782." The Wolf Law Library followed Brown and Sowerby and purchased a copy of the 1767 edition.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary full calf; spine has raised bands, original lettering piece and gilt motifs in compartments. Includes the bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst on front pastedown.

Images of the library's copy of this book are available on Flickr. View the record for this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

See also

• Jefferson Inventory
• Wythe's Library

References

1. ↑ Niccolò Guicciardini, "Simpson, Thomas (1710–1761)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed March 25, 2025.
2. ↑ Thomas Simpson, A Treatise of Algebra [1]
3. ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012, rev. October, 2023) Microsoft Word file. On file at the Wolf Law Library
4. ↑ E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson (Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress, 1952-1959), 4:6 [no.3674].
5. ↑ LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on May 16, 2025.