Book, A University Algebra
date: label: date made
content: 1873
name: label: author
content: Olney, Edward
notes: label: Description
content: This book is a first edition of 1873. Its notable feature is that Olney used infinitesimal analysis to teach algebra in Part III. He argued that mathematicians do algebra with analysis because this was a more "elegant and productive" method and that therefore it made no sense to teach students to do algebra the traditional way. Parts I and II were taken from Olney's <I>Common School Algebra</I> and cover standard material. There are very few story problems in this book. The book is covered with a paper jacket. There is a loose insert of a "Government Ticket" inside the front cover. There are stray pencil marks throughout, with a computation inside the back jacket. Jacob Foster Schmeltzer's daughter-in-law, the donor, signed his name in the front of the book. "George E. Waring, Jr." is also written there, but this signature may be in J. F. Schmeltzer's hand. Waring (1833-1898), of Newport, Rhode Island, was a well-known sanitary engineer who wrote <I>The Sanitary Drainage of Houses and Towns</I> in 1876, designed the sewer system in Memphis in 1880, renovated the White House, and served as Street Cleaning Commissioner in New York City from 1895-1898. It is unclear whether he actually owned this book, although it seems unlikely. Perhaps Schmeltzer made his acquaintance. There is another signature on page 239: "Sambo Schnider" [?]. Perhaps this person was a student at Illinois Industrial University (now University of Illinois), and Schmeltzer (whose likely dates are 1801-1881 and who probably moved to Manteno, Illinois, in 1867) got the book from him or from a used textbook sale.
label: Description
content: See also 1986.3110.08.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Education
label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. C. B. Schmeltzer in Memory of C. B. Schmeltzer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1986.3110.04
label: catalog number
content: 1986.3110.04
label: nonaccession number
content: 1986.3110
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Book
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2.8 cm x 14.2 cm x 21.5 cm; 1 3/32 in x 5 19/32 in x 8 15/32 in