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Sotheby’s to Auction Galileo Newton First Editions and Scientific Revolution
Sotheby’s is preparing to sell a collection of very old and important science books and manuscripts.
The auction will take place in New York on 20 October.
The collection shows how scientists changed ideas about Earth, space, motion and gravity.
Euclid’s book helped establish how mathematical books were printed.
Galileo’s book describes his telescope observations, including Jupiter’s four moons.
Kepler’s work explains that planets travel around the Sun in oval-shaped paths.
Newton’s books and handwritten notes show how he developed ideas about motion and gravity.
People can view the collection publicly before the auction, and another part will be sold in December.
Sotheby’s will auction rare scientific works in New York on 20 October.
The single-owner sale includes first editions by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton.
Newton’s handwritten manuscript contains calculations linked to his Principia.
Highlights include Euclid’s first printed Elements and Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius.
A public exhibition will run from 12 to 20 October, with a second sale planned for December.
- Who
- Sotheby’s, offering works by Euclid, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton.
- What
- A collection of rare scientific books and manuscripts will be exhibited and auctioned.
- Where
- The exhibition and auction will be held at the Breuer, Sotheby’s New York headquarters on Madison Avenue.
- When
- The auction is scheduled for 20 October; the exhibition runs from 12 to 20 October, with another sale in December.
- Why
- The collection documents major developments in astronomy, mathematics and physics during the scientific revolution.
Key facts
- Auction title
- Reason and Revolution: Extraordinary Works from a Distinguished Private Collection
- Auction date
- 20 October
- Exhibition dates
- 12–20 October
- Location
- The Breuer, Sotheby’s New York headquarters on Madison Avenue
- Featured manuscript
- Isaac Newton’s handwritten calculations linked to his Principia
- October highlights
- First editions and rare works by Euclid, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton
- Additional sale
- A second sale focused on the founding of the American nation is planned for December
Quotes
Richard Austin
Sotheby’s Global Head of Books and Manuscripts
“There is something remarkable about holding the actual page where a scientific revolution happened, not a later account of it, but the object itself, like the sheet where you can watch Newton work through a calculation in his own hand. How often do we get to stand that close to the moment a discovery became permanent?”
theprint.in
“Few opportunities allow us to trace the origins of modern scientific thought through the hands of the people who created it. This collection does exactly that, bringing together the foundational texts of astronomy and physics that reordered humanity’s understanding of its place in the universe.”
theprint.in
Sources
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