B chapter.indd - Charles Babbage Institute - University of Minnesota

98
Erwin Tomash Library
Bagay, Valentin Baily, Francis
This is a work on arithmetic. It begins by presenting
the Hindu-Arabic numerals, addition and multiplication
tables, squares, cubes and square roots—all in quite
modern form. These elementary ideas occupy only the
first few pages, and the text is thereafter devoted to
topics such as mixed radix arithmetic (addition of days,
hours, minutes, etc.), including a table that could be used
to convert days to hours, etc.
The text is heavily interspersed, particularly in the first
half, with Greek quotations.
Illustrations available:
Title page
B 75
Bagay, Valentin (1772–1851)
Nouvelles tables astronomiques et hydrographiques,
contenant un traité abrégé des cercles de la sphère;
- la description des instruments a réflexion; - diverses
méthodes pour obtenir les latitudes et les longitudes
terrestres; - une nouvelle table des logarithmes, des
sinus, cosinus, tangentes et cotangentes, de seconde en
seconde, pour les quatre-vingt-dix degrés du quart du
cercle.
Year: 1829
Place: Paris
Publisher: Firmin Didot Père et Fils
Edition: 1st
Language: French
Figures: 5 engraved plates
Binding: contemporary half-leather boards
Pagination: pp. [8], lxxxvi, [iv], 125, 615
Collation: π 4 1–11 4 1–15 4 16 3 1–77 4
Size: 265x205 mm
Reference: Glais RCMT, p. 86; Hend BTM, #134.0, p. 111;
Soth/Zeit BCM, Vol III, #875–#804, p. 65
Bagay was professor of Hydrographie at Lorient.
This very extensive set of tables for astronomy and
navigation is an example of the best tabular technique in
use as Charles Babbage began his efforts to mechanize
table making. A series of introductory essays discuss
topics from spherical geometry to observational
instruments such as the sextant and octant. The
detailed tables provide corrections for temperature and
humidity. Logarithms are given for natural numbers and
trigonometric functions for both decimal and sexagesimal
numbers to every minute of the arc. Bagay introduced
one, easily visible, typographical improvement on earlier
tables to remove a potential source of error: a large black
dot notes where the first figures of logarithms change.
Illustrations available:
Title page
Table page illustrating the typographical innovation
B 76
Baily, Francis (1774–1844)
Table typography, B 75
B 75
Astronomical tables and formulae together with a
variety of problems explanatory of their use and
application. To which are prefixed the elements of the
solar system.
Year: 1827
Place: London
Publisher: Richard Taylor
Edition: 1st
Language: English
Binding: original morocco grained blue cloth boards; rebacked
Pagination: pp. xvi, 120, 119*–120*, [2], 123–152, 153*–158*,
153–194, 193*–194*, 195–267, [3], 267–304
Collation: a–b 4 B–P 4 Q 5 R–T 4 U 7 X–2B 4 2C 5 2D–2L 4 2M 2 2M–2Q 4
Size: 208x128 mm
Reference: DSB, v. 1, pp. 402–403