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Includes scientific papers, published and unpublished; texts of formal scientific projects; correspondence, both scientific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.