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(LEIBNIZ, Gottfried Wilhelm). Brevis descriptio machinae arthimeticae, cum figura. [contained in] Miscellanea Berolinensia ad incrementum scientarium. Berlin: Papen, 1710. First edition of Leibniz's description of his famous calculating machine. Small 4to., contemporary flexible cream paper boards, (20), 1-394pp. With 30 of31 plates--Lacking one plate (figure 80) and the frontispiece. This copy was deaccessioned by the University of California Library and it contains a letter stating such. It bears the perforated stamp, 'Univ of California' on the title-page and on all but 3 of the plates. Unfortunately, the perforated stamp penetrates the image of the plate(s) but is oddly not as obtrusive a presence as it sounds. Some browning, boards soiled but certainly a better than very good copy of an important book. Ravier 305.
Leibniz's paper 'Brevis descriptio machinae arthmeticae ', a milestone in computer history, runs from pp.317-319, and also includes one folding engraved plate (Figure 73) showing the calculating machine mechanism, including the step-drum gear, which constitutes one of the greatest advances in the early history of computing. The paper was extremely influential in the development of the calculating machine and the stepped-drum that Leibniz showed and described here and was 'the greatest advance in calculating- machine technology until 1875.' (Hook & Norman). In 1694, 'Leibniz built his calculating machine, which was far superior to a previous design by Pascal, and it proved to be the first general purpose calculating device able to meet the major needs of mathematicians and bookkeepers.' (Rosenberg. The Computer Prophets, p.48) The mechanism, which included a device now known as the 'Leibniz wheel' could 'do not only addition and subtraction fully automatically but also multiplication and division. Leibniz's device enabled his machine to perform the operation of multiplication automatically by repeated additions.' (Goldstine. The Computer from Pascal to von Neumann, p.7) While Leibniz demonstrated his machine before the Royal Society and elsewhere, this is the first description of it that appeared in print in this volume of the journal of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. In addition to this paper, the volume also contains other contributions by Leibniz on mathematics and physics.