Mathematical Treasure: Isaac Newton’s Artis analyticae specimina

In 1670–1671 Isaac Newton (1642–1727) prepared a treatise on calculus and infinite series, Artis analyticae specimina : sive, Geometria analytica. This manuscript copy was made around 1710 for William Jones (1675–1749), another English mathematician who in 1711 would publish another of Newton’s works on the calculus, Analysis per quantitatum series, fluxiones, ac differentia. Artis, however, did not make it into print until it appeared in Newton’s posthumous works in 1736. John Colson (1680–1760) used Jones’s copy to complete an English translation around the same time; this Method of Fluxions and Infinite Series is probably the best-known version of the treatise today.

The title page of the copy made for Jones:

Sample pages from this manuscript:

These images from LJS 199 are presented courtesy of the Schoenberg Manuscript Collection within the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Pennsylvania. The full volume may be viewed here.

Isaac Newton kept an extensive collection of notes himself. This is a page purported to be from one of his 18th-century notebooks; it discusses problems from geometry. It was collected by Richard Rawlinson (1690–1755), who purchased books and manuscripts throughout his adult life and turned them over to the University of Oxford.

This image of MS. Rawl. D. 471 is available from the Digital Bodleian website of the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

Index to Mathematical Treasures