Lot Details
Lot 214
BOOLE, GEORGE An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, on which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probability
. London: Macmillan & Co., 1854. First edition, later issue with Boole's name on the spine, L2 & Q8 cancelled (as usual), the title leaf cancelled (with just the Macmillan imprint present), the errata bound after page iv, the note leaf pertaining to proposition II, p. 261 not noted. Original pebbled green cloth with blind rules, the Macmillan imprint on the spine, brown endpapers. 8 3/4 x 5 5/8 inches (22.5 x 14 cm); [2]-(title, verso blank), vi (dedication and preface), [2] contents, errata leaf, 424 pp. Generally a clean copy internally, neatly recased with spine laid down.
A foundational treatise in mathematical theory and the first practical system of logic in algebraic form, Boole's work was recognized as important in its own time, and has such universal application that it underlies the ubiquitous presence of computers in our own. The two-valued algebra that Boole explored in this work is critical to computer technology. In his famous master's thesis at M.I.T in 1937, C. E. Shannon recognized that the true/false values in Boole's notation are equivalent to the two possible states of an electrical circuit, i.e. open and closed. This realization led almost directly to the modern era of computers; the ability of switching circuits to conduct logical operations is the foundation of all digital computing. Norman 266; Hook & Norman Origins of Cyberspace 224.
C
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