Copyright © 2014-26 by David Levy
(page updated 2026-01-30)
| Title: | AN | ESSAY | Towards making the | DOCTRINE | OF | CHANCES | Eaſy to thoſe who underſtand Vulgar | Arithmetick only : | To which is added, | Some Uſeful TABLES on Annui-|ties for Lives, &c. &c. &c. | [rule] | By Mr. HOYLE. | [double rule] | LONDON: | Sold by J. Jolliff, in St. James's-Street. | (Price Half a Guinea.) | No Copies of this Book are Genuine, but thoſe | that are ſigned by the Author. |
| Collation: | 8o: A–I4 K4(K4+1) [$½ signed]; 41 leaves, pp. [i–iii] iv–viii, [1] 2–73 [74] |
| Contents: | Signature (Page) Reference | Contents | Signature (Page) Reference | Running Titles |
| A1r (i) | title with autograph of Edmond Hoyle at the foot | |||
| A1v (ii) | blank | |||
| A2r–A2v (iii–iv) | ‘[headpiece Goulden 40] | TO THE | RIGHT HONOURABLE | THE | EARL of EGMONT. | [...]’ | A2v (iv) | ‘DEDICATION.’ | |
| A3r–A4v (v–viii) | ‘[headpiece] | THE | PREFACE. | [...]’ | A3v–A4v (vi–viii) | ‘The PREFACE.’ | |
| B1r–K4+1r (1–73) | ‘[headpiece Goulden 40] | AN | ESSAY | ON THE | Doctrine of Chances, &c. | [...]’ | B1v–K4+1r (2–73) | ‘An Essay on the | Doctrine of Chances.’ | |
| K4+1v (74) | blank |
| Catchwords: | C2r(11) Thus [Thus,]; D1r(17) Firſt, [Firſt] |
| Publisher: | Edmond Hoyle |
| Printer: | Henry Woodfall (ornaments) |
| Advertisements: | 1754-01-23 Public Advertiser: "Next month will be published, by subscription, at half a guinea, The
Doctrine of Chances made easy to those who understand vulgar arithmetick
only. By Mr. Hoyle. Subscriptions taken in by the author, and Mr.
Jolliffe..." 1754-03-12 Public Advertiser: "Speedily will be published, by subscription; at half a guinea..." 1754-06-14 The Daily Advertiser: "This day is publish'd, (price 10s. 6d.) An essay towards making the doctrine of chances easy...to which are added, tables on annuities for lives. &c." |
| Notices: | 1754-06 The Scots Magazine: (p310) |
| Reviews: | 1754-05 The Monthly Reivew: "Mr. Hoyle's abilities for works of this sort are well known to the public." (Google) |
| Price: | 10s.6d. (title, advertisement, review) |
| References: | ESTC T87530, Jessel 794, Marshall s7 no.8 p404 (1889-11-23), Rather 38 |
| Copies Seen: | L [8535.b.30] (ECCO); O [Jessel e.646(1)]; Stigler |
| Other Copies: | Lu-2 [DeM L.2.1 (B.P.3)]; BNF [V-20484]; MiU [QA273.H87]; RPB-JH [QA273.H85] |
| Notes: | The imprint "sold by" J. Jolliff (sic) rather than "printed for" suggests that Jolliffe was a distributor and not the publisher. It is likely that Hoyle was the publisher.The book is discussed in Isaac Todhunter, A History of the Mathematical Theory of Probability : from the time of Pascal to that of Laplace, (Cambridge and London: MacMillan, 1865), reprinted (New York: Chelsea, 1949), 322. |