EISENSTEIN, G. [GOTTHOLD].

Beiträge zur Theorie der elliptischen Functionen (+) Notiz über Partialbrüche,

Berlin, G. Reimer, 1846. 4to. In "Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik, 33 Band, 1. Heft, 1846". In the original printed wrappers, without backstrip. Fine and clean. Last leaf with repair. [Eisenstein:] Pp. 59-70; Pp. 71-88. [Entire issue: IV, 92, (2) + 2 plates.].

First printing of two papers by Eisenstein, one of them (Beiträge zur Theorie...) being the first of his 1846-47-period where he mainly occupied himself with the theory of elliptic functions.
Even though the German mathematics prodigy Eisenstein's died prematurely at the age of 29, he managed to prove biquadratic reciprocity, Quartic reciprocity, Cubic reciprocity, to be imprisoned by the Prussian army for revolutionary activities in Berlin and making Gauss state that: "There have been only three epoch-making mathematicians: Archimedes, Newton, and Eisenstein". Alexander von Humboldt, then 83, accompanied Eisenstein's remains to the cemetery. The papers presented in the present issue is among his most prominent and made him famous throughout the mathematical world. (James, Driven to innovate, P. 88).

The issue also contain papers by famous contemporary mathematicians such as: C. G J. Jacobi, A. Cayley, Dirichlet and J. Steiner.

"Eisenstein soon became the subject of legend, and the early literature about him is full of errors. His treatises were written at a time when only Gauss, Cauchy, and Dirichlet had any conception of what a completely rigorous mathematical proof was. Even a man like Jacobi often admitted that his own work sometimes lacked the necessary rigor and self-evidence of methods and proofs." (DSB)

Order-nr.: 45142