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Finding Aid to the Pierre Simon Laplace Papers, 1697-1873
BANC MSS 89/120 z  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Collection Summary
  • Information for Researchers
  • Administrative Information
  • Biographical Information
  • Scope and Content of Collection

  • Collection Summary

    Collection Title: Pierre Simon Laplace papers
    Date (inclusive): 1697-1873
    Collection Number: BANC MSS 89/120 z
    Creators : Laplace, Pierre Simon, marquis de, 1749-1827
    Extent: Number of containers: 32 boxes Linear feet: 12.8
    Repository: The Bancroft Library
    University of California, Berkeley
    Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
    Phone: (510) 642-6481
    Fax: (510) 642-7589
    Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
    URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
    Abstract: Includes scientific papers, published and unpublished; texts of formal scientific projects; correspondence, both scientific and personal; political papers; papers related to personal matters ranging from business accounts to household receipts; the correspondence of Madame Laplace, including hundreds of letters exchanged with her family and with Princess Elisa, Napoleon's sister; also includes hundreds of letters exchanged with scientists and their spouses, letters related to Madame Laplace's appointment as Lady-in-Waiting, and letters from members of the Bonaparte family; the papers of the son, Charles Emile Laplace, including hundreds of letters exchanged between mother and son and many letters from major French figures of the time; records pertaining to Laplace's father, Pierre de Laplace of Beaumont-en-Auge (Normandy), who died in 1788.
    Languages Represented: Collection materials are in French
    Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

    Information for Researchers

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. Materials in these collections are protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and may not be used without permission of The Bancroft Library. Use may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, privacy and publicity rights, licensing terms, and trademarks. All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html. 
    Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Pierre Simon Laplace Papers, BANC MSS 89/120 z, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

    Alternate Forms Available

    There are no alternate forms of this collection.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
    Science--France--History--18th century
    Astronomy--France
    Mathematics
    France--History--18th century
    France--History--19th century
    France--Social life and customs--17th century
    France--Social life and customs--19th century
    LaPlace, Marie Anne Charlotte (Courty) de
    Napoleon. I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821

    Administrative Information

    Acquisition Information

    The Pierre Simon Laplace Papers were purchased from Aux Amateurs de Livres, Paris, France, by The Bancroft Library in December 1988.

    Accruals

    No additions are expected.

    System of Arrangement

    Arranged to the container level.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Bancroft Library staff; rehoused by Eresmia Ouranitsas in 2007.

    Biographical Information

    Pierre Simon Laplace (1749-1827) was France's premier astronomer and mathematician for over half a century spanning the period of the French Revolution. He was also a prominent public figure and was named Minister of Interior in 1799 by Napoleon.
    See Roger Hahn, Pierre Simon Laplace, 1749-1827: A Determined Scientist (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2005).

    Scope and Content of Collection

    Includes scientific papers, published and unpublished; texts of formal scientific projects; correspondence, both scientific and personal; political papers; papers related to personal matters ranging from business accounts to household receipts; the correspondence of Madame Laplace, including hundreds of letters exchanged with her family and with Princess Elisa, Napoleon's sister; also includes hundreds of letters exchanged with scientists and their spouses, letters related to Madame Laplace's appointment as Lady-in-Waiting, and letters from members of the Bonaparte family; the papers of the son, Emile Laplace, including hundreds of letters exchanged between mother and son and many letters from major French figures of the time; records pertaining to Laplace's father, Pierre de Laplace of Beaumont-en-Auge (Normandy), who died in 1788.