Antiquarian science books are original historical works (e.g., books or technical papers) concerning science, mathematics and sometimes engineering. These books are important primary references for the study of the history of science and technology, they can provide valuable insights into the historical development of the various fields of scientific inquiry (History of science, History of mathematics, etc.)
The landmark are significant first (or early) editions typically worth hundreds or thousands of dollars (prices may vary widely based on condition, etc.). Reprints of these books are often available, for example from Great Books of the Western World, Dover Publications or Google Books.
Incunabula are extremely rare and valuable, but as the "scientific revolution" is only taken to have started around the 1540s, such works of Renaissance literature (including alchemy, Renaissance magic, etc. are not usually included under the notion of "scientific" literature. Printed originals of the beginning scientific revolution thus date to the 1540s or later, notably beginning with the original publication of Copernican heliocentrism. Nicolaus Copernicus' De revolutionibus orbium coelestium of 1543 sold for more than US$2 million at auctions.
16th century
Fuchs, Leonhart. De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes. Basel, 1542. Botany.
Copernicus, Nicolaus. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. Wittenberg, 1543. Copernican heliocentrism.
Vesalius, Andreas. De humani corporis fabrica (On the Structure of the Human Body). Basel, 1543. Anatomy.
Cardano, Gerolamo. Artis magnae sive de regulis algebraicis (The Art of Solving Algebraic Equations). Nuremberg, 1545. Algebra.
Brunfels, Otto. Kreuterbüch, '1546. Botany.
Bock, Hieronymus. Kreutterbuch. Strasbourg, 1552. Botany.
Paracelsus. Theil der grossen Wundartzney. Frankfurt, 1556. Medicine.
Agricola, Georgius. De re metallica. Basel, 1561. Mineralogy.
Regiomontanus. De triangulis planis et sphaericis libri quinque. Basel, 1561. Trigonometry.
Bombelli, Rafael. Algebra. 1569/1572. Imaginary numbers.
Viète, François. In artem analyticam isagoge (Introduction to the Analytical Art). Tours, 1591. Algebra.
17th century
Gilbert, William. De Magnete London, 1600 Magnetism
Galilei, Galileo. Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger) Frankfurt, 1610. Astronomy
Napier, John. Mirifici logarithmorum canonis descriptio, 1614. Logarithms
Kepler, Johannes. Harmonices Mundi Linz, 1619. Celestial mechanics
Bacon, Francis. Novum Organum London, 1620. Experimentation
Descartes, René. Discours de la Methode / La Geometrie Leiden, 1637 Analytical geometry
Fermat, Pierre de. Methodus ad disquirendam maximam et minimam, 1637. Calculus
Galilei, Galileo. Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche, intorno a due nuove scienze Leiden, 1638. Classical dynamics
Desargues, Gérard, 1639. Projective geometry.
Harvey, William. Anatomical Exercises, Concerning the Heart and Blood London, 1653. Circulatory system
Wallis, John. Arithmetica infinitorum, 1655. Calculus
Boyle, Robert. The Sceptical Chymist London, 1661. Chemistry
Pascal, Blaise. Traitez de l'Equilibre des Liqueurs, et de la Pesanteur de la Masse de l'Air Paris, 1663. Fluid statics
Gregory, James. Optica Promota, 1663. Optics
Hooke, Robert. Micrographia London, 1665. Microscopy
Steno, Nicolas. De Solido intra Solidum Naturaliter Contento Dissertationis Prodromus Florence, 1669. Stratigraphy
Barrow, Isaac. Lectiones geometricae, 1670. Calculus
Fermat, Pierre de. Ad locus planos et solidos isagoge, 1679. Analytic geometry
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Nova Methodus pro Maxima et Minimus, 1684. Calculus
Newton, Isaac. Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica London, 3 Vol, 1687. Classical mechanics
Huygens, Christiaan. Traité de la Lumière Leiden, 1690. Optics
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Specimen Dynamicum Vienna, 1695. Classical mechanics
van Leeuwenhoek, Antonie. Arcana Naturae, Ope & Beneficio Exquisitissimorum Microscopiorum Leiden, 1696. Microbiology
l'Hôpital, Guillaume de. Analyse des infiniment petits Paris, 1696. Calculus
18th century
Newton, Isaac (England). Opticks London, 1704. Optics
Taylor, Brook (England). Methodus Incrementorum Directa et Inversa, 1715. Taylor series
Linnaeus, Carl (Sweden). Systema Naturae Netherlands, 1735. Linnaean taxonomy
Bernoulli, Daniel (Netherlands). Hydrodynamica Strasbourg, 1738, Fluid dynamics
d'Alembert, Jean le Rond (France). Reflexions sur la cause general des vents, 1747. Complex numbers
Euler, Leonhard (Switzerland). Introductio in analysin infinitorum Lausanne, 1748. Mathematical analysis
Franklin, Benjamin (America). Experiments and Observations on Electricity London/Philadelphia, 1769. Electricity
Smith, Adam (Scotland). An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations London, 2 Vol, 1776. Capitalism
Monge, Gaspard (France). Sur la théorie des déblais et des remblais, 1781. Descriptive geometry.
Lagrange, Joseph (Italy). Analytical Mechanics Paris, 1788. Dynamics
Hutton, James (Scotland). The Theory of the Earth Edinburgh, 1788. Geology
Lavoisier, Antoine (France). Traité Élémentaire de Chimie (Elements of Chemistry) Paris, 2 Vol, 1789. Chemistry
Galvani, Luigi (Italy). Dell' Uso e dell' Attiva dell' Arco Conduttore nelle Contrazioni dei Muscoli Bologna, 1794. Electricity
Legendre, Adrien-Marie (France). Essai sur la théorie des nombres. Paris, 1798. Number theory
Wessel, Caspar (Norway). Om directionens analytiske betegning Copenhagen, 1799. Imaginary numbers
Volta, Alessandro (Italy). Observations on Animal Electricity London, 1799. Electricity
Ruffini, Paolo (Italy). Teoria generale dele equazioni, in cui si dimostra impossibile. La soluzione algebraica delle equazioni generali di grado superiore al quatro Bologna, 1799. Algebra
19th century
Gauss, Carl Friedrich (Germany). Disquisitiones Arithmeticae Leipzig, 1801. Number theory
Young, Thomas (England). Experiments and Calculations Relative to Physical Optics, 1803. Light
Argand, Jean-Robert (Switzerland). Essai sur une maniere de representer les quantities imaginaries dans les constructions geometriques, 1806. Imaginary numbers.
Dalton, John (England). A New System of Chemical Philosophy London, 1808. Atomic theory
Berzelius, Jöns Jacob (Sweden). Läroboken i kemien, 1808. Chemistry
Cayley, George (England). On Aerial Navigation. Brompton, 3 Vol, 1809. Aeronautics.
Ørsted, Hans Christian (Denmark). Experimenta circa effectum conflictus electrici in acum magneticam Copenhagen, 1820. Electromagnetism.
Fourier, Joseph (France). Théorie Analytique de la Chaleur Paris, 1822. Fourier series.
Ampère, André-Marie (France). Recueil d'observations electrodynamiques (Collection of Observations on Electrodynamics), 1822. Electromagnetism
Fresnel, Augustin-Jean (France). Mémoire Sur Un Nouveau Système D’Éclairage Des Phares Lu À L’Académie Des Sciences Paris, 1822. Wave optics
Babbage, Charles (England). Mr. Babbage's invention: Application of machinery to the purpose of calculating and printing mathematical tables. London, 1823. Computing
Lobachevsky, Nikolai (Russia). Geometriya. 1823. Non-Euclidean geometry
Cauchy, Augustin-Louis (France). Le calcul infinitesimal. Paris, 1823. Mathematical analysis
Carnot, Sadi (France). Reflexions sur la Puissance Motrice du Feu et sur les machines propres a developer cette puissance Paris, 1824. Thermodynamics
Laplace, Pierre-Simon (France). Traité de Mécanique Céleste Paris, 1827. Classical mechanics
Ohm, Georg (Germany). Die Galvanische Kette mathematisch bearbeitet Berlin, 1827. Electricity
Lyell, Charles (Scotland). Principles of Geology London, 1830. Geology
Poisson, Siméon Denis (France). Theorie Mathematique de la Chaleur Paris, 1835. Heat transfer
Hamilton, William Rowan (Ireland). On Quaternions London/Edinburgh/Dublin, 1844. Quaternions.
Faraday, Michael (England). Experimental Researches in Electricity London, 1852. Electricity.
Boole, George (England). An Investigation of the Laws of Thought London, 1854. Boolean algebra
Maury, Matthew Fontaine (America). The Physical Geography of the Sea New York, 1855. Oceanography
Darwin, Charles (England). On the Origin of Species. London, 1859. Evolutionary biology
Pasteur, Louis (France). Memoire sur les corpuscules organises qui existent dans l'atmosphere Paris, 1861. Microbiology.
Lejeune Dirichlet, P. G. (Germany). Vorlesungen über Zahlentheorie. Braunschweig, 1863, Number theory.
Mendel, Gregor (Czech Republic/Austria). Experiments on Plant Hybridization Brno, 1866. Genetics
Riemann, Bernhard (Germany). Ueber die Hypothesen, welche der Geometrie zu Grunde liegen Göttingen, 1868. Riemannian geometry
Beltrami, Eugenio (Italy). Essay on an interpretation of non-Euclidean geometry, 1868. Hyperbolic geometry
Galton, Francis (England). Hereditary Genius: An Inquiry into Its Laws and Consequences London, 1869, Statistics
Cohn, Ferdinand (Poland). Untersuchungen ueber Bacterien Breslau, 3 Vol, 1870. Bacteriology.
Darwin, Charles (England). The Descent of Man London, 1871. Evolutionary biology.
Marx, Karl (Germany). Das Kapital St. Petersburg, 1872. Economics.
Maxwell, James Clerk (Scotland). A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism Oxford, 2 Vol, 1873. Classical electromagnetism.
Koch, Robert (Germany). Untersuchungen uber die aetiologie der wundinfectionskrankheiter Leipzig, 1878. Bacteriology.
Gibbs, Willard (America). On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances New Haven, 1878. Physical chemistry
Michelson, Albert A. (America). Experimental Determination of the Velocity of Light Annapolis, 1880. Speed of light.
Abel, Niels Henrik (Norway). Oeuvres complètes, 1881. Mathematical analysis.
Zhukovsky, Nikolai (Russia). O protchnosti dvizheniya (The Durability of Motion) Moscow, 1882. Aeronautics.
Cantor, Georg (Russia/Germany). Grundlagen einer allgemeinen Mannichfaltigkeitslehre Leipzig, 1883. Set theory.
James, William (America). The Principles of Psychology New York, 1890. Psychology
Mendeleev, Dmitri (Russia). Principles of Chemistry London, 1891. Chemistry
Newcomb, Simon (America). Astronomical Papers Prepared for the Use of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac Washington, D.C., 1891. Astronomy
Poincare, Henri (France). Les méthodes nouvelles de la mécanique céleste Paris, 1892. Celestial mechanics
Tesla, Nikola (Croatia/America). Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency New York, 1892. Electricity
Galois, Évariste (France). Oeuvres Mathematiques d'Évariste Galois Paris, 1897. Group theory
Hilbert, David (Germany). Grundlagen der Geometrie (The Foundations of Geometry) 1899. Mathematics
20th century (pre-World War II)
Planck, Max (Germany). Ueber Die Elementarquanta Der Materie Und Der Elekricitat Leipzig, 1901. Quantum mechanics
Bolyai, János (Hungary). The Science of Absolute Space Budapest, 1902. Non-Euclidean geometry
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich (Russia). The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Devices Kaluga, 1903. Rockets
Rutherford, Ernest (New Zealand). Radioactivity Cambridge, 1904. Nuclear physics
Lorentz, Hendrik (Netherlands). Electromagnetic phenomena in a system moving with any velocity smaller than that of light Amsterdam, 1904. Special relativity
Einstein, Albert (Germany). On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies Leipzig, 1905. Special relativity
Einstein, Albert (Germany). Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content? Leipzig, 1905. Physics
Richardson, Lewis (England). The Approximate Arithmetical Solution by Finite Differences of Physical Problems Involving Differential Equations, with an Application to the Stresses in a Masonry Dam London, 1910. Computational mechanics
Bohr, Niels (Denmark). On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules London, 1913. Quantum mechanics
Einstein, Albert (Germany). Die Grundlage Der Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie (Foundations of the General Theory of Relativity) Leipzig, 1916. Physics.
Goddard, Robert Hutchings (America). A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes Washington, D.C, 1919. Rockets
de Broglie, Louis (France). Recherches sur la théorie des quanta (Research on Quantum Theory), 1924. Wave-particle duality
Whitehead, Alfred North (England) and Russell, Bertrand (England). Principia Mathematica Cambridge, 1925. Mathematics
Heisenberg, Werner (Germany). Uber quantentheorestische Undeutung kinematischer und mechanischer Beziehungen. Berlin, 1925. Quantum mechanics
Schrödinger, Erwin (Austria). Quantisierung als Eigenwertproblem Leipzig, 1926. Quantum mechanics
Pavlov, Ivan (Russia). Conditioned Reflexes New York, 1928. Classical conditioning
Oberth, Hermann (Romania). Wege zur Raumschiffahrt (Ways to Spaceflight) Munich/Berlin, 1929. Rockets
Hubble, Edwin (America). A Relation between Distance and Radial Velocity among Extra-Galactic Nebulae Washington, D.C., 1929. Astrophysics
Dirac, Paul (England). The Principles of Quantum Mechanics Oxford, 1930. Quantum mechanics.
Gödel, Kurt (Czech Republic/America). On formally undecidable propositions of Principia Mathematica and related systems. Leipzig, 1931. Mathematical logic.
Goddard, Robert Hutchings (America). Liquid Propellant Rocket Development Washington, D.C., 1936. Rockets
Keynes, John Maynard (England). The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money London, 1936. Economics
Church, Alonzo (America). A Note on the Entscheidungsproblem Ann Arbor, 1936. Computer science.
Turing, Alan (England). On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem Cambridge, 1937. Computing
Pauling, Linus (America). The Nature of the Chemical Bond Ithaca, 1939. Chemistry.
von Neumann, John (Hungary/America) & Morgenstern, Oskar (Germany/America). Theory of Games and Economic Behavior Princeton, 1944. Game theory
Antiquarian science books Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA