Details
BABBAGE, Charles (1792-1871). Reflections on the Decline of Science in England, and on Some of its Causes. London: R. Clay for B. Fellowes and J. Booth, 1830. 8o (212 x 131 mm). Contemporary half sheep, marbled boards, gilt spine, morocco lettering piece (slight wear, lettering piece chipped). Provenance: SIR ROBERT PEEL (1788-1850), British Home Secretary 1822-27 and 1828-30, Prime Minister 1834-35 and 1841-46 (armorial bookplate). FIRST OCTAVO EDITION. Norman 90.
[With:] BABBAGE, Charles. Reflections on the decline of science in England and on some of its causes. London: R. Clay for B. Fellowes and J. Booth, 1830. 4o (299 x 229 mm). (Title page browned). Quarter morocco, marbled boards, by Max Adjarian. FIRST QUARTO EDITION. Norman 91.
Babbage deplored the decline of science in England as well as its divorce from technology and industry, and was concerned by the lack of focus and leadership in the Royal Society. In the present treatise he criticized the membership and administration of the Society and proposed several reforms, including a university curriculum that would include both theoretical and applied science.
The octavo and quarto editions of this work, both published in 1830, represent different settings of type. According to a note tipped into the Honeyman copy of the quarto edition, only "a few [copies were] printed in Quarto, for the use of those Gentlemen who may wish to bind up the Work with the Philosophical Transactions for the Year 1830", a nicely satirical touch in a work that was primarily a diatribe against the Royal Society. The order of the editions has not been established. Normal practice was to print large-paper copies after the smaller edition, although in this case the two could have been published simultaneously. That the present copy of the octavo edition belonged to Sir Robert Peel, to whom Babbage later presented a large-paper copy of On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures (see lot ____) suggests that the octavo edition may have been available earlier. (2)
[With:] BABBAGE, Charles. Reflections on the decline of science in England and on some of its causes. London: R. Clay for B. Fellowes and J. Booth, 1830. 4o (299 x 229 mm). (Title page browned). Quarter morocco, marbled boards, by Max Adjarian. FIRST QUARTO EDITION. Norman 91.
Babbage deplored the decline of science in England as well as its divorce from technology and industry, and was concerned by the lack of focus and leadership in the Royal Society. In the present treatise he criticized the membership and administration of the Society and proposed several reforms, including a university curriculum that would include both theoretical and applied science.
The octavo and quarto editions of this work, both published in 1830, represent different settings of type. According to a note tipped into the Honeyman copy of the quarto edition, only "a few [copies were] printed in Quarto, for the use of those Gentlemen who may wish to bind up the Work with the Philosophical Transactions for the Year 1830", a nicely satirical touch in a work that was primarily a diatribe against the Royal Society. The order of the editions has not been established. Normal practice was to print large-paper copies after the smaller edition, although in this case the two could have been published simultaneously. That the present copy of the octavo edition belonged to Sir Robert Peel, to whom Babbage later presented a large-paper copy of On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures (see lot ____) suggests that the octavo edition may have been available earlier. (2)