An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry

Cambridge: Cambridge at the University Press, 1897. First Edition. Octavo. xvi, 201, pages. At the age of 11 young Russell was awakened to the beauty of geometry. His senior advisor at Cambridge was Alfred North Whitehead. He felt that the teaching of geometry was on techniques and had not dealt with his epistemological bearings. On the basis of his dissertation Russell was awarded a five-year fellowship in 1895 with his Essay on the Foundations appearing first in 1897 which he called his first philosophical book, which also came to be viewed as a partial defense of Kant's theory that the truth of geometry is a necessary condition of all possible experience. This work so influenced Henri Poincare that Russell was invited to give lecture at the prestigious International Congress of Philosophy held in Paris in 1900, an event that profoundly affected his career. Bound in blue cloth, spine gilt, light wear to spine ends, some bubbling to cloth on lower board, original owner's signature, H. Lamb, 1897. Bookseller's Label: Galloway & Porter, Cambridge. A very nice copy.