VARIGNON Pierre Nouvelles conjectures sur la pesanteur.

Poggendorff, II, 1175; Roberts & Trent, pp. 337-338; D.S.B., XIII, 584-587.

First edition of Varignon’s second published book.

“Varignon”s work on gravity was inspired by the discussion between Descartes and Mersenne about the bullet which could never be found because its initial velocity was so high it lost gravity an disappeared into space. The vignettes depict this event, with the question: “ Retombera-t-il”. The text pays special attention to the role of height in giving speed and acceleration to the falling bodies. Varignon applied his ideas of the composition of forces to this study, which was praised by Leibniz, Huygens and Johan Bernoulli. Bernoulli’s De Gravium aetheris is quoted in the work, as well as the studies by Mariotte and Galileo” (Roberts & Trent).

Dedicated to Bossuet, the work is illustrated with six engraved folding plates and a vignette (repeated) depicting gravity, with the motto : “Retombera-t-il ?”.

“It is due to Lagrange that Varignon’s name gained recognition in the teaching of mechanics in France in the nineteenth century, and until rather recently his name was linked with a theorem on the composition of forces tat is now identified with the properties of the vetor product…. Fully occpucied by his teaching duties [he taught and resided at the college Mazarin until his death in 1722] and his responsibilities as an academician, Varignon had no leisure to prepare works for publication. After a short second work, Nouvelles conjectures sur la pesanteur, his literary production consisted of articles for learned journals and a large number of memoire submitted to the Academy” (DSB).

Magnificent copy in perfect state of conservation, bound for the State secretary François-Michel Le Tellier de Louvois (1641-1691).

Other provenance: Pinsonneau (signature at the bottom of the title) – anonymous note on the endpaper (details of Le Tellier) – Maurice Lecomte (bookplate).