Letters to a German Princess

Euler started the first letter with an explanation of the concept of "size". Starting with the definition of a foot, he defined the mile and the diameter of the earth as a unit in terms of foot and then calculated the distance of the planets of the Solar System in terms of the diameter of the earth.{{cite journal |last=Klyve |first=Dominic |title=Euler as Master Teacher in Letters to a German Princess |journal=Opusculum |date=Autumn 2010 |volume=2 |issue=2 |url=http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~euler/eulersociety/opusculum/Opusculum2010-2.pdf |access-date=October 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022210437/http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~euler/eulersociety/opusculum/Opusculum2010-2.pdf |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |url-status = dead}}

The first two volumes of the 234 letters originally written in French appeared in print in Saint Petersburg in 1768 and the third in Frankfurt in 1774. The letters were later reprinted in Paris with the first volume in 1787, the second in 1788 and the third in 1789.{{cite web|last=Ho|first=Andie|title=Comparison to the last edition of Euler's Letters published by de Condorcet, with the original edition|url=http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~euler/docs/translations/E092trans.pdf|work=Article, 2011}}

The publication of the book was supported by empress Catherine II with her personally writing to Count Vorontsov in January 1766:{{harvnb|Bogoliubov et al.|2007|pp=307–316}}

{{blockquote|I am certain that the academy will be resurrected from its ashes by such an important acquisition, and congratulate myself in advance in having restored this great man to Russia.|Catherine II, quoted by Bogoliubov et al|Euler and Modern Science}}

Russian translation of the letters followed in Saint Petersburg by Euler's student Stepan Rumovsky between 1768 and 1774 in 3 volumes.

The first English translation of the Letters were done by the Scottish minister Henry Hunter in 1795.{{cite DNB|wstitle=Hunter, Henry|last=Goodwin|first=Gordon|authorlink=|volume=28}} Hunter targeted the translation at British women, believing that Euler intended to educate the females through his work.{{cite journal|last=Klyve |first=Dominic |title=Euler's Letters to a German Princess:Betrayal and Translation |journal=Opusculum |date=Spring 2011 |volume=3 |issue=1 |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/etou/eulersoc/documents/opusculum/Opusculum-2011-1.pdf |access-date=February 5, 2018}}

The translation of Hunter was based on the 1787 Paris Edition, of Marquis de Condorcet and Sylvestre François Lacroix. The translation differed from the original letters of Euler in its omission of "... the frequent, tiresome, courtly address of YOUR HIGHNESS".

The Marquis de Condorcet's translation, made during the Age of Enlightenment, was notable for its omission of Euler's theological references which Condorcet found as "anathema" to teaching science and rationalism.{{cite journal|last=Klyve |first=Dominic |title=Seeking the Original Text of Euler's Letters to a German Princess |journal=Opusculum |date=Summer 2011 |volume=3 |issue=2 |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/etou/eulersoc/documents/opusculum/Opusculum-2011-2.pdf |access-date=February 5, 2018 }}

Translations followed in other languages including Spanish (1798) which differed from the original book by a footnote describing the newly discovered planet Uranus. Subsequent German edition (1847), and French editions (1812 and 1829) were also noted for their reference to Uranus and four minor planets respectively.

• On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences

{{Reflist|30em}}

;Attribution

{{DNB|wstitle=Hunter, Henry|volume=28}}

• {{librivox book | title= Letters on Different Subjects in Natural Philosophy, Volume 1 (Letters to a German Princess) | author= Leonhard Euler}}

{{refbegin|60em}}

• {{cite book | title=Letters of Euler to a German Princess, on Different Subjects in Physics and Philosophy | date=1795| url=https://archive.org/details/letterseulertoa00eulegoog}}
• {{cite book |authorlink=:de:Emil Fellmann |first=Emil |last=Fellmann |title=Leonhard Euler |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eREahbPlHNQC&pg=PA73 |year=2007 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-7643-7539-3 }}
• {{cite book|author1=Nikolai Nikolaevich Bogoliubov|author2=G. K. Mikhailov|author3=Adolf Pavlovich Iushkevich|title=Euler and Modern Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ta9bz1wv79AC&pg=PA307|year=2007|publisher=MAA|isbn=978-0-88385-564-5 |ref = {{harvid|Bogoliubov et al.|2007}}}}

{{refend}}

{{Leonhard Euler}}

Category:Mathematics books

Category:Collections of letters

Category:1760s works