First Gottsched edition of the Théodicée – the standard German edition of the only large philosophical book published by Leibniz in his lifetime. Gottsched appends various short works by Leibniz, four of them in their first German translation. Included are the important essay on binary arithmetic, ‘Rechnung mit null und eins’, and the description of Leibniz’s invention, the first calculating machine that could add, subtract, multiply and divide. PMM 177, Ravier 421.
Bound after the Leibniz is a scarce related work by Joachim Böldicke (1704-1757), friend of G.F. Meier, correspondent of Euler, and commentator on Machiavelli, under the following main title-page: Abermaliger Versuch einer Theodicee, darinn von dem Ursprunge des Bösen in der besten Welt, der Güte, Weisheit und Gerechtigkeit Gottes, wie auch der Freyheit des Menschen dergestalt gehandelt wird. Berlin und Leipzig: Haude und Spener, 1746.
