``The last original'' -- The Leibniz calculating machine of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library. With a foreword by Georg Ruppelt. Edited by the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library (Q2812995)

Much has been written on Leibniz's calculation machine and without doubt much will follow; however, the book under review will be a unique gem. It appears in an extraordinary format; the book has a height of approx. 24 cm and a length of 29 cm. This unusual format allows for large-sized photographs and drawings and the book is full of them.NEWLINENEWLINEThe book aims to present the history, mode of operation, and the impact of the only extant of Leibniz's younger machines which is now conserved in the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library in Hannover. Each of the four authors is an expert in his own field, the fields ranging from the history of arts and Leibniz expertise to theoretical and constructive engineering. Part I of the book is devoted to the history of the machine and follows this history up to our days. The first part contains an astonishingly huge bulk of information and could itself have provided the material for a stand-alone book on the machine. In Part II, the functionality of the machine is described in every thinkable detail. The actual construction is rigorously compared with the notes by Leibniz. Then, the constructions following Leibniz's machine are presented and discussed and their reconstructions are shown. The last machine which was influenced by Leibniz's invention of the staggered roll (Staffelwalze) is Curt Herzstark's famous `Curta' which was successfully sold well up to the 1970s. Part III is devoted to the engineering details of the machine and its replica and also deals with the problems of the carry forward. It is this third part which requires some technical skills on the side of the reader. Some very complicated technical drawings are presented to clarify how the machine really works. The reviewer, although educated as a mechanical engineer, admits that understanding some of the technical drawings (cp.\ pages 198, 207, or 210, for example) took some time and skill. The book closes with a historical assessment of the machine and an appendix containing a chronology and registers.NEWLINENEWLINEThe book is printed on high-quality paper and manufactured beautifully. It is a gem in the literature on Leibniz's machine and will prove an indispensable source for researchers and interested laymen alike. The book is written in German.