Details
KEPLER, Johannes (1571-1630). Dioptrice seu Demonstratio eorum quae visui & visibilibus propter conspicilla non ita pridem inventa accidunt. Augsburg: David Frank, 1611.
4o (189 x 142 mm). Numerous woodcut diagrams in text. (A few diagrams shaved slightly, one fore-corner renewed, a few minor stains on title-page, small hole in errata leaf at end patched on verso with slight loss.) Modern marbled boards.
FIRST EDITION OF THE FOUNDATION WORK ON MODERN OPTICS. In this work Kepler explained the theory of refraction by lenses, enlarged his system of geometrical and instrumental optics, and expounded the principle of the inverting telescope. "Kepler obtained a telescope in 1610, a gift from Ernest, Archbishop of Cologne, and in his Dioptrice (1611), Kepler discussed its theory. In this work he enlarged upon his ideas on refraction and wrote about the anatomy of the eye. He described, for the first time, the defect of spherical aberration and stated that it could be overcome by giving optical surfaces hyperboloidal forms ... He showed, also for the first time, that before an object can be seen distinctly, its image must be sharply formed on the retina" (King, The History of the Telescope, pp. 44-45). In the long Preface, Kepler comments on Galileo's recent discoveries made with the telescope and their importance in supporting the theories of Copernicus. The work also reprints a series of related letters from Galileo to Kepler, from 13 November 1610 to 26 March 1611. Caspar 40; Cinti 31; Zinner 4320.
4o (189 x 142 mm). Numerous woodcut diagrams in text. (A few diagrams shaved slightly, one fore-corner renewed, a few minor stains on title-page, small hole in errata leaf at end patched on verso with slight loss.) Modern marbled boards.
FIRST EDITION OF THE FOUNDATION WORK ON MODERN OPTICS. In this work Kepler explained the theory of refraction by lenses, enlarged his system of geometrical and instrumental optics, and expounded the principle of the inverting telescope. "Kepler obtained a telescope in 1610, a gift from Ernest, Archbishop of Cologne, and in his Dioptrice (1611), Kepler discussed its theory. In this work he enlarged upon his ideas on refraction and wrote about the anatomy of the eye. He described, for the first time, the defect of spherical aberration and stated that it could be overcome by giving optical surfaces hyperboloidal forms ... He showed, also for the first time, that before an object can be seen distinctly, its image must be sharply formed on the retina" (King, The History of the Telescope, pp. 44-45). In the long Preface, Kepler comments on Galileo's recent discoveries made with the telescope and their importance in supporting the theories of Copernicus. The work also reprints a series of related letters from Galileo to Kepler, from 13 November 1610 to 26 March 1611. Caspar 40; Cinti 31; Zinner 4320.