HUME, TRAITÉ DE LA TRIGONOMETRIE, PARIS: NICOLAS & JEAN DE LA COSTE, 1636

4to (156 x 97mm.), engraved arms of Robert Ker, Earl of Ancram, on verso of title, woodcut initials, head-and tail-pieces and diagrams in the text, woodcut printer’s device on final leaf verso, folding letterpress table, seventeenth-century speckled calf, speckled edges, without advertisement leaf at end, binding very slightly worn

bought from Jonathan Hill, New York, 1987  

Tomash & Williams H188; SUDOC 042847575; USTC 6028259

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."

The author was a Scottish mathematician living in Paris. “This work was inspired by Hume’s distaste for the Trigonometriae canonicae (1633) written by Jean-Baptiste Morin, with whom Hume had a long-standing dispute. It consists of a comprehensive treatment of plane and spherical trigonometry together with a briefer discussion of problem solutions using the newly invented logarithms” (Tomash & Williams).