HUYGENS, Christiaan. — Correspondance, tome 1-6 (1638-1669).

La Haye, Nijhoff, 1888-1895. 6 tomes. in-4. xiv,622-[viii],639-[iv],593-[viii],589-[viii],627-[viii],655 pp. with 5 large folding plates, 23 plates; 2 folding facsimiles, 1 double page folding facsimile, 2 double plates. Wrappers with parchment paper printed jackets. (Oeuvres Complètes I-VI; Jackets browned, some soiled; spines a bit damaged; small marginal tear in some pages; uncut; partly unopened) - presentation copy. ¶ The first six (of ten) volumes of Huygens' correspondence: 1791 letters from and to Christiaan Huygens, and with reference to Huygens, in chronological order. The letters cover a wide range of subjects, are mainly of a scientific nature (inter alia on the rings of Saturn, the pendulum clock, his functions at the Académie des Sciences in Paris). As Huygens corresponded with hundreds of scholars from all over Europe, these letters give an interesting insight in the relations of the 17th century scientific community or the République des Lettres.