[FOM] James Shaw on philosophy of mathematics

[Francis Davey]

On 2 Jun 2008, at 12:08, Thomas Forster wrote:

>
> I have just picked up a copy of
>
>    Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics
>
> by one James Byrnie Shaw.  Open Court 1918. Can anyone tell me  
> anythiong
> about this chap.  It occurred to me to wonder that it is only recently
> that people starting publishing books with names like this.  is this  
> one
> perhaps the first?

I don't have any direct personal knowledge of the person or the  
period, but the British Library does list a few books on the  
philosophy of mathematics at an earlier date. The earliest in English  
I can see is:

BLEDSOE, Albert Taylor. The Philosophy of Mathematics, etc. (pp. 248.  
J. B. Lippincott & Co.: Philadelphia, 1868.)

There doesn't seem to be much before the book you found though.James  
Byrie Shaw is listed as author of two other books: one on vector  
calculus and the other on linear associative algebra.

Most seem available on amazon (which is rather alarming). The linear  
algebra book from 1907 is listed as "in stock" at amazon.co --  
confirmation that mathematics books don't age? On $16.99:

http://www.amazon.com/Synopsis-linear-associative-algebra-development/dp/1429704349/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212484998&sr=8-3

Amazon.com knows more of his books than the British Library, which is  
no surprise.

Not really an answer to your question, but maybe some data points.

-- 
Francis Davey
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Tel. 020 7583 7644  Mobile. 0781 686 8998 Fax. 020 7788 3404