Benito Bails

BENITO BAILS (Barcelona, 1730 - Madrid, 1797).
"Principles of mathematics of the Royal Academy of San Fernando". 3 volumes.
Volumes of different editions: Volume 1 (Ibarra Hija, 1805), Volume II (Viuda de Ibarra, 1797), Volume III ( Viuda de Ibarra, 1799).
With engravings and Spanish paper covers.
In good condition.
Measurements: 21 x 15 x 4 cm (x3).
The most important work of Benito Baïls is his Elementos de Matemáticas, a monumental encyclopedia of Mathematics in eleven volumes that began to be published in 1779. This work made known in Spain the most advanced mathematics of the time, introducing mathematical analysis and infinitesimal calculus to the peninsula. A year earlier, in 1776, he had published his Principles of Mathematics, which became a standard textbook in the country's universities and which he had written with the intention of making it the textbook for the San Fernando School of Fine Arts. Authors such as Garma or Navascues Palacio have questioned the originality of his mathematical works, calling them mere translations: Bézout's arithmetic and algebra, L'Hôpital's analysis and Lagrange's calculus of variations. In any case, no one questions the role of his work in the diffusion of the most modern mathematics.