For the first time, all five of John Napier’s works have been brought together in English in a single volume, making them more accessible than ever before. His four mathematical works were originally published in Latin: two in his lifetime (1550–1617), one shortly after he died, and one over 200 years later. The authors have prepared three introductory chapters, one covering Napier himself, one his mathematical works, and one his religious work. The former has been prepared by one of Napier’s descendants and contains many new findings about Napier’s life to provide the most complete biography of this enigmatic character, whose reputation has previously been overshadowed by rumour and speculation.

The latter has been written by an academic who was awarded a PhD for his thesis on Napier at the University of Edinburgh, and it provides the most lucid and coherent coverage available of this abstruse and little understood work. The chapter on Napier’s mathematical texts has been authored by an experienced and respected academic, whose recent works have specialised in the history of mathematics and whose Journey through Mathematics was selected in March of 2012 as an Outstanding Title in Mathematics by Choice magazine,a publication of the American Library Association. All three authors have revisited the primary sources extensively and deliver new insights about Napier and his works, whilst revising the many myths and assumptions that surround his life and character.

Table of Contents

1. John Napier

2. Revealing the Plaine Discovery

3. A Plaine Discovery

4. Mathematical Introduction

5. Descriptio

6. Rabdologiæ

7. Constructio

8. De Arte Logistica

9. Appendices

10. Further Reading

11. Bibliography of Napier’s Works

Review

“This is an excellent book and bringing all Napier’s works together with three excellent commentaries has been an immense, but very worthwhile, undertaking.” (Edmund Robertson, London Mathematical Society Newsletter, newsletter.lms.ac.uk, Issue 475, March, 2018)

“The Life and Works of John Napier is the definitive collection of writings about and by this famous mathematician. The massive text (nearly 1,000 pages) contains initial chapters of biographical material, which place Napier in a historical, political, and religious framework. … For the first time, translations from the Latin editions of his various works are integrated into one volume. … Summing Up: Recommended. Researchers and faculty.” (R. L. Pour, Choice, Vol. 55 (2), October, 2017)

“This book presents the English translations of Napier’s five important publications together in one volume for the first time and this means the fulfilment of a long-standing desideratum. It can be hoped that the interest in Napier and his works will be further inspired by this voluminous book.” (Thomas Sonar, zbMATH, Vol. 1365.01001, 2017)