Exposition du système du monde

Description

First edition. "One of the most successful popularizations of science ever composed." A companion to the author's lectures on calculus, mechanics and astronomy. Contains sections on observable astronomical phenomena, the actual motion of planets, satellites and comets, a summary of his work in gravitational mechanics and a review of the history of astronomy. "An elegant and non-mathematical classic on astronomy. It is in this work that Laplace introduced one of his most notable contributions (although he himself did not take it very seriously at first): the so-called nebular hypothesis, which provided a conjectural explanation for the origin of the solar system," which exercised a powerful influence on scientific thought throughout the nineteenth century. Volume II received a later cover, but the printing is identical to volume I.