BRASSINNE, Emile. Précis des Œuvres mathématiques de Fermat et de l'Arithmétique de Diophante.
Toulouse: Douladoure, 1853. First edition, offprint issue.

A separately paginated offprint from the Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences de Toulouse, Tom. III. Brassinne begins (pp. 11-46) with a summary of the contents of Fermat’s Varia Opera published by his son Samuel in 1679. This is followed (pp. 47-131) with a summary of the six books of Diophantus’ Arithmetica, together with the comments Fermat added in the margins of his copy of the 1621 edition of that work (one of which was Fermat’s ‘last theorem’). The remainder of the work reprints Fermat’s correspondence with Mersenne, Pascal, Roberval and others. In view of the relative inaccessibility of the original works, for many 19th century mathematicians and historians this was the most accessible source for understanding Fermat’s work before the publication of his Oeuvres (1891-1912).

8vo: 220 x 140 mm. Contemporary plain wrappers (chipped at edges). 164 pp. and 2 folded engraved plates.