Note on the Sensation of Color in The American Journal of Science and Arts, Third Series, Vol. XIII, Nos. 73-78, January to June, 1877, pp. 247-251
1877. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION OF A PAPER BY CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE THAT IS WIDELY CONSIDERED "THE FIRST EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY WORK IN AMERICA" (Cadwallader, 1974). This 1877 investigation into the nature of color vision made Peirce "the first modern experimental psychologist on the American continent" (The Peirce Edition Project, Vol. 3). Peirce was one of the earliest practitioners of the randomized experiment and in this paper, employs that technique and publishes what was then called a psychophysical experiment on vision and color. Both the Young-Helmholtz color theory and Fechner's law are also discussed. In 1885, Peirce and Joseph Jastrow would publish an experiment using "a shuffled deck of playing cards to randomly determine the presentation order of stimuli used in a pychometric study;" this "possibly the first randomized experiment in social psychology (Handbook of the History of Social Psychology, 161). Peirce was "the founder of American pragmatism," a philosopher, logician, mathematician, and scientist (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). "Peirce's most important work in pure mathematics was in logical and foundational areas. He also worked on linear algebra, matrices, various geometries, topology and Listing numbers, Bell numbers, graphs, the four color problem, and the nature of continuity" (Wikipedia). Item #371
CONDITION & DETAILS: In: American Journal of Science and Arts, Third Series, Vol. XIII, Nos. 73-78, January to June, 1877, pp. 247-251. Octavo (9 x 6 inches; 225 x 150mm). Plates and in-text illustrations throughout. Full volume. Ex-libris: Small stamp at the foot of the blank flyleaf; barely visible stamp on title page along with small pencil notation; small stamp on rear of title page and perforated stamp at the head of the first table of contents page. This all sounds much worse than it is, particularly when it is noted that the only ex-libris spine markings is just a slight ghosting remaining from the removal of a label. Bound in black cloth; gilt-lettered at the spine. Very slight age toning to the paper, otherwise clean and bright throughout.
Price: $225.00