A child prodigy, Colin Maclaurin became a professor of mathematics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland when just 19. While on vacation in London, he became a member of the Royal Society after making the acquaintance of Sir Isaac Newton and other natural philosophers. Several years later, Newton not only recommended Maclaurin to Edinburgh University, the esteemed scientist also offered to pay his salary.

Maclaurin died at the age of 48, a few hours after dictating the conclusion of An Account of Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophical Discoveries, published posthumously in 1748. Highlighting the methodology of induction, deduction, and verification, the book became one of the leading popular expositions of Newtonianism during the Enlightenment, encouraging the application of Newton’s principles to many avenues of inquiry in diverse disciplines and fields.

On display is a 1799 fourth edition of George Adams’ Astronomical and Geographical Essays which first appeared in 1790. The author succeeded his father in the post of precision instrument maker to King George III of England. Adams also managed a profitable business making globes and mechanical instruments for other clients that included the East India Company and the Ordinance Office.