SLONIMSKI, SEFER YESODEI HOKHMAT HA-SHIUR. ZHITOMIR, 1865

8vo (223 x 145mm.), text in Hebrew, 3 folding plates, quarter morocco over marbled boards, original printed yellow wrappers bound in, parallel title-page in Hebrew and German, upper wrapper in Hebrew, lower wrapper in German, edges yellow, previous ownership inscription in ink, browning and spotting throughout, a few leaves chipping at edges, bumped and rubbed

Tomash & Williams S126

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"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."

Slonimski was an author, inventor and rabbi involved in the Eastern European Haskalah movement in the early nineteenth century. Slonimski published his first book at the age of 24. He was concerned that the Sciences were being ignored by the Jewish community and so he wrote his works in Hebrew while maintaining his position as an Orthodox rabbi. Beyond his publications, Slonimski established himself as an inventor. He invented a calculations machine in 1844, as well as a device that allowed four telegrams to be sent at once. His telegraph invention gained particular notoriety when Stalin in a 1952 speech noted that the Russians anticipated the Americans with certain elements in the technical development of the telegraph. Stalin’s speech was immediately ridiculed with the New York Times going so far as to claim that Stalin had invented Slonimski.

The present volume is a technical mathematical text on arithmetic, geometry and algebra.