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Correspondence of John Wallis (1616–1703), Volume IV (1672–April, 1675)

Philip Beeley and Cristoph J. Scriba
Publisher: 
Oxford University Press
Publication Date: 
2014
Number of Pages: 
595
Format: 
Hardcover
Price: 
325.00
ISBN: 
9780198569480
Category: 
Monograph
[Reviewed by
Fernando Q. Gouvêa
, on
11/20/2014
]

This is the fourth volume of John Wallis’s correspondence to be edited by Beeley and Scriba and published by Oxford University Press. We greeted the first and second volumes when they were published, and we are happy to see the series continue. This volume takes us from 1672 to April 1675. Wallis lived until 1703, so we can expect many more to come.

As the authors note in their preface, during this period it was often the case that letters intended to communicate a new idea or discovery to a particular scholar were sent instead to a friend or colleague, who was expected to pass the information on. As a result, they have included many letters that were not formally by or for Wallis, but which were sent with the intent of reaching him. This, as they point, out, is sometimes essential to provide the context for things Wallis did write. So of the 252 letters included here, only 113 are from Wallis, while 124 are “either addressed to him or he was the intended recipient.” Many of these letters have never been published before.

The publication of Wallis’s correspondence is clearly a massive undertaking, but an incredibly valuable one. We can only wish Beeley and Scriba good health, persistence, and ample funding.


Fernando Q. Gouvêa is Carter Professor of Mathematics at Colby College and Editor of MAA Reviews.

Introduction
Editorial principles and abbreviations
Correspondence
Biographies of correspondents
List of manuscripts
Bibliography
List of letters
Index: persons and subjects
Errata