S otheby's is proud to present Reason and Revolution: Extraordinary Works from a Distinguished Private Collection, a dedicated single-owner auction series. Part One is devoted to the history of scientific thought. Headlined by first editions from Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton, alongside a rare surviving manuscript in Newton's own hand, the sale reunites landmark works that, in several cases, have not appeared on the market in more than three decades.

This October's sale traces the history of scientific inquiry from Copernicus's heliocentric model through Newton's laws of motion; a second sale this December will turn to the founding of the American nation, with further highlights from the collection to be unveiled later this year.