|
|
|
|
"Nothing is more proverbially uncertain than the duration of human life, when the maxim is applied to an individual; yet there are few things less subject to fluctuation than the average duration of a multitude of individuals." |
| BABBAGE,
Charles. A comparative view of the various institutions for the
assurance of lives. London: printed for J. Mawman and sold by J.
Booth, 1826. Octavo, contemporary diced calf rebacked. $1800. First edition of Babbage's first published book, the first thorough treatise on actuarial theory, complete with folding table of mortality statistics, generally considered the first reliable life table. In 1824, Babbage was approached by a nascent life insurance company (which ultimately was never formed) to provide actuarial tables to help in organizing their business. Frustrated by the lack of sound statistical science that was currently being applied in the industry, Babbage published his first full-length book; a work that would quickly become a classic in actuarial theory. It also serves as an early example of the desire and need for accurate statistics and calculations that would be a driving force throughout Babbage's life. (He was, after all, the man who reputedly once wrote to poet Alfred Lord Tennyson and demanded he change the lines: "Every moment dies a man, Every moment one is born" to "Every moment dies a man, Every moment one and one-sixteenth is born".) Some scuffing to binding, occasional light foxing, almost invisible reinforcement to front hinge. A handsome copy. Rare. |