BOOLE, George (1815-1864). An Investigation of the Laws of Thought, on which are founded the mathematical theories of logic and probabilities. London: Macmillan, 1854.

First edition of Boole's great work on mathematical logic, in original binding. In this copy, the title, L2 and Q8 are cancels, the errata leaf is the last leaf of preliminaries, and there is an additional "Note" leaf inserted before the errata, this latter not in the Norman collation. Boole's work greatly influenced mathematicians in the second half of the 19th century, and led to the development of computer technology once C.E. Shannon's master's thesis of 1937 "recognised that the true/false values in Boole's two-valued algebra were analogous to the open and closed states of electric circuits". Norman 266.

Octavo (222 x 143mm).Publisher's green pebble-cloth, spine lettered in gold (extremities lightly rubbed, front hinge starting).