Editing Thomas Simpson (section)

== Early work ==

Simpson's treatise entitled ''The Nature and Laws of Chance'' and ''The Doctrine of Annuities and Reversions'' were based on the work of De Moivre and were attempts at making the same material more brief and understandable. Simpson stated this clearly in ''The Nature and Laws of Chance'', referring to [[Abraham de Moivre|Abraham De Moivre]]'s ''[[The Doctrine of Chances]]'': "tho' it neither wants Matter nor Elegance to recommend it, yet the Price must, I am sensible, have put it out of the Power of many to purchase it". In both works, Simpson cited De Moivre's work and did not claim originality beyond the presentation of some more accurate data. While he and De Moivre initially got along, De Moivre eventually felt that his income was threatened by Simpson's work and in his second edition of ''Annuities upon Lives'', wrote in the preface:<ref>Stigler, Stephen M. The History of Statistics: The Measurement of Uncertainty before 1900. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1986.</ref>

"After the pains I have taken to perfect this Second Edition, it may happen, that a certain Person, whom I need not name, out of Compassion to the Public, will publish a Second Edition of his Book on the same Subject, which he will afford at a very moderate Price, not regarding whether he mutilates my Propositions, obscures what is clear, makes a Shew of new Rules, and works by mine; in short, confounds, in his usual way, every thing with a croud of useless Symbols; if this be the Case, I must forgive the indigent Author, and his disappointed Bookseller."