Principia Mathematica. Second edition. WHITEHEAD, Alfred North, & Bertrand Russell.

Second edition of this landmark work of mathematical philosophy, incorporating a new introduction and three new appendices by Russell with the assistance of Frank Ramsey. In the Principia, first published in 1910, Whitehead and Russell attempted to construct "the whole body of mathematical doctrine by logical deduction from the basis of a small number of primitive ideas and a small number of primitive principles of logical inference" (DSB). This 'logicist' position holds that mathematics is a branch of logic, and thus "that a separate philosophy of mathematics does not exist, a view contradicting the Kantian doctrine that mathematical proofs depend on a priori forms of intuition. The three colossal volumes of Principia Mathematica. formed the greatest single contribution to symbolic logic for the time" (ODNB). Blackwell & Ruja A9.2a. 3 vols, large octavo (257 x 166 mm). Recent dark blue morocco, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, raised bands, roll to boards gilt, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. Slight spotting at extremities, Vol. I with short tears to top edges of pp. 245-6 and 271-2, one small puncture to fore edge of pp. 319-40 not affecting text: a near-fine copy.