TORRICELLI Evangelista Lezioni accademiche.

Riccardi, II, 554 ; Cinti, 169 ; Dibner, 149 ; DSB, XIII, pp. 437-438 ; Roberts & Trent, Bibliotheca Mechanica, p. 322 ; Mark Andrews, Italian Hydraulics, p. 133.

Édition originale.

Elève et secrétaire de Galilée, Torricelli lui succéda comme professeur de mathématiques à Florence.

“His mathematical, optical and hydraulic contributions were many ; all cut short by early death” (Dibner).

Très peu de travaux de Torricelli furent publiés de son vivant. Cet ouvrage rassemble douze leçons professées devant l’Academia della Crusca. Il est précédé d’une longue préface de Tommasso Bonaventuri qui reproduit les deux célèbres lettres de Torricelli à Ricci sur la pression atmosphérique et l’invention du baromètre.

“Le lezioni II, III e IV che trattano della forza della percossa, problema tanto caro al Galilei, del quale forse rispecchiano gli ultimi pensieri”(Cinti).

On y trouve également des leçons sur les vents, l’architecture militaire, etc.

“This collection of Torricelli’s lectures provides an important summary of Torricelli’s theories, published posthumously by Tommaso Bonaventura; includes chapters on percussion, lightness, winds, military architecture, and mathematics. Chapter 7 on the movement of winds is a pioneer contribution in the field of meteorology explaining in detail their origin in atmospheric changes and refuting the contemporary theory that they issued from the earth. His two famous letters on the barometer are reprinted here. The chapter Della Fama uses his teacher, Galileo, as an example. The preface by Bonaventura includes a life of Torricelli” (Roberts & Trent).

“In the preface, Buonaventuri provides a biography of Torricelli and shows important correspondence with Michelangelo Ricci, in which Torricelli establishes the principle of barometric pressure” (Andrews).

Orné d’un portrait et d’une marque typographique gravés sur cuivre ; quelques bois tirés dans le texte ; bandeaux et lettrines.

Bel exemplaire, grand de marges.