The Principia Mathematica by Alfred North Whitehead, Bertrand Russell

The Principia Mathematica is a 3-volume work on the foundations of mathematics, written by Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell. PM, as it is often abbreviated (not to be confused with Russell's 1903 Principles of Mathematics), is an attempt to derive all mathematical truths from a well-defined set of axioms and inference rules in symbolic logic. One of the main inspirations and motivations for PM was Frege's earlier work on logic, which had led to paradoxes discovered by Russell. These were avoided in PM by building an elaborate system of types: a set of elements is of a different type than is each of its elements (set is not the element; one element is not the set) and one cannot speak of the "set of all sets" and similar constructs, which lead to paradoxes (see Russell's paradox). PM is widely considered by specialists in the subject to be one of the most important and seminal works in mathematical logic and philosophy since Aristotle's Organon. The Modern Library placed it 23rd in a list of the top 100 English-language nonfiction books of the twentieth century.

The 516th greatest nonfiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 23rd on The Modern Library | 100 Best Nonfiction (The Modern Library)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
Principia Mathematica: Volume 1 Hardcover 9399715 $497.99 1927
Principia mathematica Hardcover 6737550 $30.72
Principia mathematica Kindle Edition 299054 $0.99 2014
Principia Mathematica Paperback 3758399 $28.25 2013
Principia Mathematica to *56 Paperback 3835864 $151.38 $2.99 1962
Principia Mathematica (Three Volume Set) Hardcover 11241227 $250.00 1950
Principia mathematica to *56 Paperback 5447095 $10.99
Principia Mathematica - Volume Two Paperback 1800704 $24.97 $19.53 2009
Principia Mathematica to *56 Paperback 7290282 $13.45
Principia Mathematica. Vorwort und Einleitungen. Paperback 15377838 $17.03 $15.36 2002
Principia Mathematica to *56 Paperback 7335586 $15.90
Principia Mathematica, Vol. 3 (Classic Reprint) Paperback 2839197 $18.36 $22.56 2016
Principia Mathematica - Volume One Paperback 872374 $19.00 $12.49 2009
Principia Mathematica - Volume Three Paperback 1149874 $19.95 $14.66 2009
Principia mathematica Paperback 826548 $22.33 $10.57 2010
Principia Mathematica 3 Volume Set (v. 1-3) Hardcover 4343915 $1,163.39 $418.99 1923
Principia Mathematica Hardcover 2770455 $41.95 $62.04 2018
Principia Mathematica: Volume One Paperback 2734187 $19.99 $42.57 2019
Introduzioni ai Principia mathematica. Testo inglese a fronte. Ediz. integrale Paperback 3958698 $27.75 2014
Principia Mathematica - Volume Two Paperback 304207 $25.00 $15.00 2011
Principia Mathematica to *56 (Cambridge Mathematical Library) Paperback 1269554 $102.00 $37.50 1997
Principia Mathematica Paperback 632744 $20.95 $26.15 2018
Principia Mathematica Hardcover 808906 $29.95 $32.99 2015
Principia Mathematica to *56 (Cambridge Mathematical Library) Kindle Edition 1724066 $90.99 1997
Principia Mathematica: Volume 2 Hardcover 7662961 $58.17 $111.09 2012
Principia Mathematica - Volume One Paperback 243870 $21.00 $17.48 2011
Principia Mathematica - Volume Three Paperback 552275 $25.00 $13.50 2011