Essai sur la Théorie des Nombres [with] Supplément a l'essai sur la Théorie des Nombres.

Second edition of this important work by Adrien Marie Legendre (1752-1833), first printed in 1797-98, complete with the first supplement published in 1816 (a second one appeared in 1825). It contains Legendre's discovery of the law of quadratic reciprocity, which Carl Friedrich Gauss referred to as the 'golden theorem', as well as his conjecture on the prime number theorem, which he refined in this edition.

'As an analyst, Legendre enriched mathematics by important contributions mainly on elliptic integrals, theory of numbers, attraction of ellipsoids and least squares [...] His researches on the theory of numbers, together with the numerous scattered fragments on the theory of numbers due to his predecessors in this line, were arranged as far as possible into a systematic whole.' (Cajori, A History of Mathematics, 1999).

Second edition; 2 works in one vol., 4to; one folding engraved plate, 10 mathematical tables, some toning to leaves, scattered light foxing; contemporary half brown straight-grained morocco over marbled boards, green morocco spine label with gilt lettering, spine gilt in compartments, light wear to extremities, yellow edges, a very good copy; xxiii, [1], 480, [36]; 62, [1], [4, ads]pp.