Author(s):
V. Frederick Rickey and Amy Shell-Gellasch
Mathematical Text Books In Use at USMA in the Nineteenth Century
Dates represent earliest documented use.
Algebra:
1802
|
Hutton (Charles), Course of Mathematics, 1800 [S]
|
1818
|
Simson (Robert), Elements of Conic Sections, 1792,
Note: this is the first mention of Simson in that Hutton replaces Simson for conic sections, [S]
|
1823
|
Lacroix (S. F.), Elements D'Algebra, 1820, (Hutton discontinued) [C, S]
|
1825
|
Lacroix, Elements of Algebra, 1825,
(English translation by J. Farrar) [BV-25, C]
|
1831
|
Bourdon (M.), Elements of Algebra, 1831,
(English translation by Lient. E. Ross) [C, S]
|
1837
|
Davies (Charles), Elements of Algebra..., 1836
(based on Ross' translation of Bourdon) [S]
|
1881
|
Davies' Bourdon, 1877 [S]
|
1900
|
Smith (Charles), A Treatise on Algebra, 1893 [C]
|
Geometry and Analytic Geometry:
1802
|
Hutton, Course of Mathematics, 1800 [S]
|
1821
|
Biot ( J. B.), Essai de Geometrie Analytique, 1826, [S]
|
1823
|
Legendre (A. M.), Elements of Geometry and Trigonometry,
English translation by Farrar, 1825 [S]
|
1837
|
Davies, Elements of Descriptive Geometry, translation of Legendre, 1826, [S]
|
1852
|
Church, Elements of Analytic Geometry, 1851, [S]
|
1864
|
Church, Elements of Descriptive Geometry, 1870, [S]
|
1896
|
Davies, translation of Van Amringe, 1885,
note-both Davies and Church texts are used. [S]
|
Trigonometry (plane & spherical, including conic sections):
1802
|
Hutton, Course of Mathematics, 1800 [S]
|
1821
|
Simson, [BV-21]
Gregory, [BV-21]
|
1824
|
Lacroix, (Farrar translation), 1822 [BV-24, S]
|
1825
|
Biot [S]
|
1832
|
Legendre, Elements of Geometry and Trigonometry,
(Farrar 1825 or Brewster 1828 translation) [S]
|
1839
|
Davies, (translation of Legendre), 1822 [S]
|
1881
|
Church, Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, 1869 [S]
|
1896
|
Ludlow (Henry), Elements of Trigonometry, 1888 [S]
|
Fluxions / Calculus:
1821
|
Lacroix, Traite Elementaire de Calcul Differentiel et de Calcul Integral, 1820 [BV-25]
|
1824
|
Hutton, [BV-24, S]
|
1825
|
Boucharlat (Jean L.), Elemens de calcul differentiel it de calcul integral, 1826, (in French) [BV-25]
|
1839
|
Davies, Elements of the Differential and Integral Calculus, 1839, [C, S]
|
1843
|
Church (Albert E.), Elements of Differential and Integral Calculus, 1842, (replaces Davies), [C, S]
|
1878
|
Boucharlat still used in lower sections [S]
|
1887
|
Bass (Edgar), Introduction to Calculus, 1887,
(replaces first part of Church), [S]
|
1889
|
Bass, Differential Calculus I, (pamphlet),
(replaces second part of Church) [S]
|
1893
|
Bass, Differential Calculus II, (pamphlet),
(replaces last part of Church) [S]
|
1896
|
Bass, Differential Calculus, [S]
|
Descriptive Geometry, Perspective, Shades, and Shadows:
1821
|
Crozet (Claudius), A Treatise on Descriptive Geometry, 1821, [S]
|
1832
|
Davies, Elements of Descriptive Geometry, 1826, [C, S]
|
1852
|
Davies, A Treatise on Shades and Shadows and Linear Perspecitve, 1851, [S]
|
1864
|
Church, Elements of Descriptive Geometry, (replaces Davies in 1865), [S]
|
Surveying:
1832
|
Davies, Elements of Surveying, 1830, [S]
|
Sources: S Report of the Superintendent, 1896
BV-## Board of Visitors report for the year 18##
C Centennial Volume[1]
[1] Centennial Volume, USMA Board of Visitors, USMAA, 1900.
Editor's note: This article was published in May of 2008.
V. Frederick Rickey and Amy Shell-Gellasch, "Mathematics Education at West Point: The First Hundred Years - Appendix: USMA Math Texts Through 1900," Convergence (July 2010)