Optice

Isaac Newton “Optice: sive de reflexionibus, refractionibus, inflexionibus et coloribus lucis, libri tres... Latine reddidit Samuel Clarke. Editio novissima.” (Lausanne, Bousquet & Sociorum, 1740) 

Acquired in 2025

We are delighted to announce the acquisition of a remarkable scientific treasure: the 1740 Latin edition of “Optice” by Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1726). It is one of the great works of the Scientific Revolution and the collection’s second title by Newton. Published in Lausanne by Bousquet & Sociorum, this edition is a landmark work that helped shape the spread of Enlightenment science across Europe.

In magnitude, the book in many ways rivalled the contribution made by Newton in “Principia” as it did nothing less than provide a new understanding of light. “Optice” explores phenomena such as the behaviour of light through prisms, provides an explanation of the rainbow, and also the strikingly beautiful patterns known, because of the author, as "Newton’s Rings." Newton’s theory, which proposed that light consisted of particles (the corpuscular theory), represented a major departure from earlier wave-based conceptions and placed the study of optics on a firm empirical and mathematical foundation.

“Optice” had originally been published in English in 1704 as “Opticks”, Newton having decided to make it available in English first with the hope that it would contribute to strengthening the development of scientific scholarship in the vernacular, which it did to no small degree. The Latin translation by Samuel Clarke, conceived of for communicating Newton’s ideas to a more international scholarship, first went to print in 1706.

This 1740 edition (the second Latin and third overall), lavishly printed with an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author, has twelve folding copperplates that were not found in earlier editions, while significantly also containing mathematical treatises omitted from later printings – texts that reflect Newton’s desire to assert priority in the development of calculus amidst his dispute with Leibniz. The book also includes a printed dedication to the Swiss mathematician Johann Bernoulli (father of Daniel), underscoring its importance to the growing Continental scientific community.

Arriving at a time when Newtonian thought was gaining dominance in Europe, the 1740 edition of “Optice” became instrumental in shaping not just scientific discourse, but also the Enlightenment's broader intellectual culture. The engravings, together with the Latin text, increased the accessibility of Newton’s thoughts and allowed readers with the means to set up and repeat his experiments for themselves. This was often in the context of salons where likeminded polymaths would meet to mutually observe and discuss their insights. It consequently influenced educators, philosophers, and scientists alike, from university lectures to the writings of figures like the physicist Émilie Du Châtelet. Through its pedagogical clarity and elegant synthesis of experimental observation and mathematical reasoning it became a standard for future scientific publishing and therefore a touchstone for scientific education well into the late 18th century.

Today, the legacy of Newton’s writings lives on not only in theoretical physics but also in advanced day-to-day technologies. His fundamental insights into the nature of light underpin, for instance, the function of the optical sensor systems that are critical components in the control and maintenance of special flow systems developed by Georg Fischer for use in home, industrial and environmental settings. This book connects the legacy of Enlightenment science with the cutting-edge technologies of today, embodying the enduring relevance of Newton’s vision.