BABBAGE, C. PASSAGES FROM THE LIFE OF A PHILOSOPHER, LONDON, 1864, INSCRIBED, MOROCCO

FIRST EDITION, 8vo (218 x 134mm.), wood-engraved frontispiece of Difference Engine No. 1, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO EMPRESS EUGENIE ON FRONT ENDPAPER ("To her Majesty | Eugenie | Empress of the French | most respectfully presented | by the author"), near identical autograph presentation on final endpaper, SPECIAL ROYAL PRESENTATION BINDING BY RIVIERE, with an all-over gilt strapwork design incorporating various leafy and floral tools, circles and dots, enclosing Empress Eugénie's coat of arms with eagle at the centre, all edges gilt, silk endleaves, inner dentelles, modern folding cloth box, some minor spotting

bought from William & Victoria Dailey, Los Angeles, 1985

Tomash & Williams B49; Origins of Cyberspace 84; Randell 1979 p.108; Van Sinderen 77

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing 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."

A FINE PRESENTATION COPY OF BABBAGE'S IMPORTANT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WORK, INSCRIBED TO EUGÉNIE DE MONTIJO (1826-1920), the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as wife of Napoleon III. Passages from the Life of a Philosopher contains the computer pioneer's only published description of his Analytical Engine, a universal calculator which is now seen to embody nearly all the important functions of the modern digital computer, as well as accounts of his Difference Engine, and many of his other inventions such as the speedometer, the cowcatcher, encoded lighthouse signalling and what is today known as operations research. Babbage evidently mis-inscribed his presentation upside down on the rear endpapers before repeating the inscription in the correct, intended position on the front endpaper. The work is dedicated to Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy, following Babbage's visit to Rome in 1840 to present the drawings and explanation of the Analytical Engine. "To the King, your father, I am indebted for the first public and official acknowledgement of this invention. I am happy in thus expressing my deep sense of that obligation to his son, the Sovereign of united Italy, the country of Archimedes and Galileo" (Dedication).