Paris: Widow of F. Langlois, 1652. Third edition. Folio. Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, and 50 engraved folding plates (one double-page). Contemporary speckled brown sheep, tan and brown morocco spine labels, stamped in gilt; early repair to lower corner of title-page; short marginal tear in one plate; some very minor soiling. Provenance: Frantz Carl Antoni von und zu Enzentriedt (armorial book-plate).

Third edition, edited by Roberval, and the first to contain Mersenne's important optical treatise L'Optique et las catoptrique. Niceron, a friar of the Minim order, studied perspective in Italy, where he taught mathematics. In the first edition of this, his major work, he demonstrated a keen understanding of the science of perspective. The first edition of his work contained the first published reference to Descartes's derivation of the law of refraction. Later editions of the work "simply provide more detail" (DSB).