Memoir of Augustus de Morgan
London: Longmans, Green, 1882. 8vo. [ii], x, 422 pp., plus 2 pages publisher’s catalogue of biographical works followed by a 24-page publisher’s catalog. FIRST EDITION. Frontispiece portrait. Original publisher’s cloth, a bit worn, edges and corners chipped, spine sunned; interior good. Item #16147
First edition of this very personal biography of De Morgan by his wife Sophia. Though generally a largely forgotten figure, De Morgan remains very important in the history of mathematics and philosophy. Indeed, along with Boole (with whom he was an avid correspondent), he was instrumental for the “mathematization” of logic and it’s applications to probability theory. This biography includes a collection of his correspondence as well as matters of a more personal nature, including, for example, his reactions to religious preferences shown in the hiring practices at various institutions and his political interests.
De Morgan (1806-71) was a British mathematician whose main field was the study of logic. In 1828, he became professor of mathematics at the University of London. There, through his works and pupils, he exercised a wide influence on mathematicians. Together with George Boole, De Morgan can be credited with stimulating the upsurge of interest in logic that took place in the mid-nineteenth century.
Price: $200.00