Digital Access to Historical Works in Mathematics
The Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives reading room will be temporarily closed from August 1 through November 30, 2022 for upgrades. While we encourage you to browse the below offerings available through our Reading Room, please be aware that you will not be able to access these materials in person until we reopen in December.
If you are excited to look at historical works in mathematics right now, you can use one of many digital repositories of rare books and archival materials. Try searching for 'mathematics' or a particular discipline within math, such as 'geometry' or 'calculus.' For example, the Biodiversity Heritage Library has over 300 titles related to 'math'!
Archival Materials
In order to facilitate primary research, the University of British Columbia Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) Library acquires archival materials in all media, including textual paper records, photographs, audiovisual recordings, maps, plans, artwork, selected published materials, and electronic records. RBSC strives to document the economic, political, cultural, labour, and literary history of British Columbia and Canada. Archives are organized by creator and separated into different 'fonds' to reflect the documents in any media or format created or received by a person or an organization in the course of their personal or professional activities.
RBSC holds some archival material created by people who worked or had an interest in mathematics. These historic sources provide a fascinating perspective on how mathematics was used, taught, and notated by individuals in the past.
- Denbei Kobayashi fondsDenbei Kobayashi worked in agriculture for much of his life. He lived in the Okanagan in the early 20th century, and kept diaries documenting his interests and activities. Some of these include mathematical notations, such as those from his 1921 and 1922 diaries.
- Frank Charnley fondsFrank Charnley graduated with a Bachelors of Science from UBC in 1924 and worked as a chemist for the Department of Fisheries. In his retirement, he also worked as a beekeeper and a sheepherder, as well as on his interests in mathematics. Records of his mathematical calculations include such topics as quantum mechanics and binomial distribution.
Historical Works in Mathematics
While UBC Library's William C. Gibson History of Medicine and Science Collection, primarily contains rare books, manuscripts, medical biographies, and books about medical history, it also contains materials related to both pure and applied mathematics. Among these you will find works of mathematics and science by renowned mathematician Isaac Newton. Books on mathematical topics can also be found in the Dr. C.E. Dolman Collection.
Outside of the Gibson and Dolman Collections, Rare Books and Special Collections holds a small but interesting selection of books on mathematics as part of its general collection, including a Victorian edition of The first six books of the Elements of Euclid with vibrant colour diagrams. In addition, RBSC's historical textbook collection contains a number of 17th, 18th and 19th century instructional texts related to mathematics.
Here is a selection of just some of the books at UBC Library's Rare Books and Special Collections.
- Thesaurus et armamentarium medicochymicum. Cui in fine adiunctum est Testamentum Hadrianeum de aureo philosophorum lapide.Call Number: WZ250 .M959 1645Publication Date: 1645
- Lettres de Mr Descartes. Où sont traittées les plus belles questions de la morale, physiqve, medicine, et des mathematiqves.Call Number: B1873 .A3 1657Publication Date: 1657
- Nouveau cours de mathématique, à l'usage de l'artillerie et du génie byCall Number: QA35 .B4 1725Publication Date: 1725
- L'arithmétique en quatre parties, savoir : l'arithmétique vulgaire, l'arithmétique marchande, l'arithmétique scientifique, l'arithmétique curieuse. byCall Number: LT305 1816 .B522Publication Date: 1816
- L'arithmétique à l'usage des écoles élémentaires du Bas-Canada. byCall Number: LT305 1832 .B522Publication Date: 1832
- Essai de géométrie analytique : appliquée aux courbes et aux surfaces du second ordre byCall Number: QA551 .B6 1823Publication Date: 1823
- Geometrical problems deducible from the first six books of Euclid, arranged and solved : to which is added an appendix containing the elements of plane trigonometry : for the use of the younger students. byCall Number: LT305 1819 .B526Publication Date: 1819
- Traité d'arithmétique pour l'usage des écoles byCall Number: LT305 1809 .B687Publication Date: 1809
- Traité de la mechanique. De plvs l'Abregé de mvsiqve dv mesme autheur mis en françois. byCall Number: QC123 .D5 1668Publication Date: 1668
- Elements of geometry : the first VI books, in a compendious form contracted and demonstrated byCall Number: QA33 .R84 1650Publication Date: 1651
- The first six books of the Elements of Euclid, in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners. byCall Number: PR10.K6 P5 1847Publication Date: 1847
- The child's arithmetic : or, The elements of calculation in the spirit of Pestalozzi's method for the use of children between the ages of three and seven years. byCall Number: PZ6 1830 F774Publication Date: 1830
- Examples of the processes of the differential and integral calculus. byCall Number: QA303 .G82Publication Date: 1846
- The elements of algebra in a new and easy method; with their use and application, in the solution of a great variety of arithmetical and geometrical questions; by general and universal rules. byCall Number: LT305 1764 .H355Publication Date: 1764
- Mathematical tables; containing the common, hyperbolic, and logistic logarithms; also sines, tangents, secants, & versed-sines both natural and logarithmic. byCall Number: QA55 .H98 1811Publication Date: 1811
- A new system of arithmetick, theoretical and practical. byCall Number: QA35 .M24Publication Date: 1730
- Arithmetic made familiar and easy to young gentlemen and ladies. byCall Number: PZ6 1787 C572 V. 2Publication Date: 1788
- Universal arithmetick: or, A treatise of arithmetical composition and resolution. byCall Number: QA35 .N564 1769Publication Date: 1769
- Mathematical principles of natural philosophy. byCall Number: QA803 .A45 1802Publication Date: 1802
- Universal arithmetick; or, A treatise of arithmetical composition and resolution. byCall Number: QA35 .N562 1728Publication Date: 1728
- Opticks: or, A treatise of the reflexions, refractions, inflexions and colours of light. Also two treatises of the species and magnitude of curvilinear figures. byCall Number: QC353 .N57 1704Publication Date: 1704
- The marrow of the mathematicks, made plain and easy byCall Number: QA35 .P52 1710Publication Date: 1710
- Institutions mathematiques, servant d'introduction a un cours de philosophie a l'usage des universites de France. byCall Number: QA35 .S3 1772Publication Date: 1772
- Sherwin's Mathematical tables ... Revised, corrected, and improved by Samuel Clark. byCall Number: QA55 .S497 1770Publication Date: 1770
- Temple's arithmetick. A concise introduction to practical arithmetick: in which all the rules that occur in common business are applied to the federal currency. byCall Number: QA101 .T28 1825Publication Date: 1825
- The tutor's assistant : being a compendium of arithmetic, and a complete question-book byCall Number: LT305 1818 .W344Publication Date: 1818
- Mathematical magick, or, The wonders that may be performed by mechanical geometry. byCall Number: QC123 .W68 1691