Historia astronomiae; sive, De ortu et progressu astronomiae, liber singularis.

Wittemberg:: (Ephraim Gottlob Eichsfeld for) Gottlieb Heinrich Schwartz, 1741., 1741. Small 4to. 206x167 mm. [24], 624, [40] pp. Woodcut headpiece. Contemporary vellum boards; contents toned with scattered foxing. Previous ownership inscription partly removed from title. From the astronomical library of Martin Charles Gutzwiller (not marked). Rare. FIRST EDITION of the first comprehensive history of astronomy. / "Weidler's Historia astronomiae sive, De Ortu et Progressu astronomiae, published in 1741, promised to be a more thorough treatment of the history of astronomy, dealing with observations, cosmologies, and astronomical theory as well as giving biographical accounts of astronomers from the beginning og the world down to his own time (the last entry dealing with Christian Ludovic Gersten and the Giessen observatory is dated to 1740). Weidler, a professor of mathematics at Wittenberg University, made astronomical and astro-meteorological observations (mock suns, aurora borealis, etc.) during the last 1720s and the 1730s. In 1732 he was elected to the fellowship of the Royal Society, regularly communicating reports of his observations to its members. / "Weilder's [book] is divided into 16 chapters covering the following topics: (1) the fabulous origins of astronomy, (2) the astronomy of the patriarchs, (3) the Chaldeans and Phoenicians, (4) the ancient Egyptians, (5) the Greeks before the founding of the 'Alexandrian School', (6) the period from the Alexandrian School to the birth of Christ, (7) the first 8 centuries A.D., (8) the Arabs, (9), the Persians and Tartars, (10) other Orientals (Mongols, Siamese, Chinese, and Americans), (11) the Jews, (12), the middle ages (ninth to fourteenth centuries A.D.), (13) the fifteenth century, (14) the sixteenth century, (15) the seventeenth century, and (16) the eighteenth century. Weidner's arrangement of history into these periods and cultures provide the basic model for several later histories of astronomy including the historical final book of Roger Long's Astronomy and, to a large extent, Pierre Esteve's Histoire Generale et Particuliere de l'Astronomie, despite Esteve's criticism of Weidler. / "Although extremely thorough in its coverage of astronomers, listing several hundreds of individuals many of whom are forgotten today, Weidler's book provided only a very superficial description of their astronomy. His approach was primarily bio- and bibliographical, based around reporting the titles and quoting from astronomical works with very little analysis of their content or discussion of their place in the development of astronomy . . . [cites examples of Copenricus and Tycho Brahe, etc.]" – John M. Steele, Ancient Astronomical Observations and the Study of the Moon's Motion (1691-1757), 2012 (p. 47). PROVENANCE: Martin Charles Gutzwiller (1925–2014) was a Swiss-American physicist, known for his work on field theory, quantum chaos, and complex systems. He completed a Diploma degree from ETH Zurich, where he studied quantum physics under Wolfgang Pauli. He then went to the University of Kansas and completed a Ph.D. under Max Dresden. After graduation, he worked on microwave engineering for Brown, Boveri & Cie, on geophysics for Shell Oil, and eventually for IBM Research in Switzerland, New York City, and Yorktown Heights, until his retirement in 1993. He also held temporary teaching appointments at Columbia University, ETH Zurich, Paris-Orsay, and Stockholm. He was Vice Chair for the Committee on Mathematical Physics, of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, from 1987 to 1993. He joined Yale University as adjunct professor in 1993, retaining the position until his retirement. Houzeau & Lancaster 11.