L'Hôpital's \textit{Analyse des infiniments petits}. An annotated translation from the French with source material by Johann Bernoulli (Q2339761): Difference between revisions

There are very good reasons for being grateful to the editors and translators of this translation of a true milestone in the history of mathematics, and calculus in particular. To the knowledge of the reviewer this is the first complete English translation of one of the most famous and influential textbooks of all times: de l'Hôpital's \textit{Analyse des infiniments petits}. Nothing needs to be said either about the contents of this classic text nor about the impact it had on mathematics. The present annotated translation starts with a preface describing not only the historical place of de l'Hôpital's work but also discusses the role of Johann Bernoulli. The contents of the \textit{Analyse} is described in much detail to give the reader an overview of the book and to adjust the reader concerning the mathematical language of the 17th century. This overview is indispensable for the study of the \textit{Analyse}. The English translation from the Latin which is then presented is of high quality, as Eberhard Knobloch, an expert not only on Leibniz but also on the Latin of the 17th century, has confirmed in a private communication. On page 187 in Appendix A, an annotated translation of Bernoulli's \textit{Lectiones de calculo differentialis} can be found which served as a basis of de l'Hôpital's text. In Appendix B, translations of selected letters from the correspondence between de l'Hôpital and Johann Bernoulli are presented documenting the influence of Bernoulli. Appendix C contains the translation of Fontenelle's eulogy for de l'Hôpital. Now that this most influential textbook on the Leibnizian calculus is available in English one can not enough praise the translators and commentators.