OUGHTRED, THE CIRCLES OF PROPORTION, LONDON, 1632, 2 PARTS IN ONE, CONTEMPORARY SHEEP, REBACKED, HONEYMAN COPY

FIRST EDITION (second issue), 2 parts in one, small 4to (180 x 130mm.), engraved additional title dated 1632 and 3 plates, woodcut diagrams and illustrations, errata leaf at end of each part, contemporary sheep, folding red cloth chemise and morocco-backed slipcase, title cropped with partial loss of imprint (including date), light damp-stain at head of some leaves, part 2 pp.2-3 and final leaf somewhat soiled or marked, without blank leaves A1 at start and B4 at end of part 2, binding rebacked

Sir Walter Halsey (1868-1950), Gaddesden Library, bookplate; Robert B. Honeyman (1897-1987), booklabel, sale in these rooms 10 November 1980, lot 2372, £1,050, Erwin Tomash

Tomash & Williams O38, O36; ESTC S126261, S105819; The Geometry of War 78; STC 18899b, 18899c; P.J. Wallis, "William Oughtred's 'Circles of Proportion' and 'Trigonometries'", TCBS 4 (1958), pp.372-382

the condition of this lot is as described in the catalogue description
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"Oughtred is generally regarded as the inventor of the circular and rectilinear slide rules. Although the former is described in his Circles of Proportion and the Horizontal Instrument (1632), a description of the instrument had been published two years earlier by one of his pupils, Richard Delamain, in Grammelogie, or the Mathematical Ring. A bitter quarrel ensued between the two, each claiming priority in the invention... Oughtred's claim to priority in the invention of the rectilinear slide rule, however, is beyond dispute, since it is known that he had designed the instrument as early as 1621" (DSB, X, p.255) This copy is the second issue, with a cancel title-page (in which the word "Circle" has been replaced by "Circles" and the additional wording "Hereunto is annexed the excellent use of two rulers for calculation") and containing the second part entitled An addition unto the use of the instrument called the circles of proportion, for the working of nauticall questions (London: Augustine Mathewes, 1633). It has a separate title-page, signatures and pagination.