Textbooks used at USMA

The source for this information is the Official Register of the Officers and Cadets of the U.S. Military Academy, a work published at West Point, N.Y. in June of each year beginning in 1818. For the years 1818-1899 this is available in PDF format from the USMA Library catalog (search for Official register of the officers and cadets).

The OROC for the years 1818-1840 contains no information about textbooks, but later years do. Below some titles are put in bold face to indicate a change from the previous year.

1841  [OROC published June 1841, so this is for the 1840-41 academic year. Similarly below]

Third Class:

Davies’s Shades and  Shadows, &c

Davies’s Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’s Surveying

Davies’s Analytical Geometry

Davies’s Calculus

Fourth Class:

Davies's Bourdon's Algebra

Davies's Legendre's Geometry and Trigonometry

Davies's Descriptive Geometry

1842.    The same as 1841.

1843

Third Class:

Davies’s Shades and  Shadows

Davies’s Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’s Surveying

Davies’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Calculus                [First edition 1842]

Fourth Class:

Davies's Bourdon's Algebra

Davies's Legendre's Geometry and Trigonometry

Davies's Descriptive Geometry

1844-1847

Third Class:

Davies’s Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’s Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’s Surveying

Davies’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Calculus

Fourth Class:

Davies's Bourdon's Algebra

Davies's Legendre's Geometry and Trigonometry

Davies's Descriptive Geometry

1848-1851

Third Class:

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective      [No s after the apostrophe]

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying, and Analytical Geometry       [Just a typographic change? The comma disappears the next year.]]

Church’s Calculus

Fourth Class:

Davies' Bourdon's Algebra

Davies' Legendre's Geometry and Trigonometry

Davies' Descriptive Geometry

1852-5

Third Class:

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry                                  [First edition 1851]

Church’s Calculus              

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

1856                         [First year of five year program]

Third Class:

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Calculus              

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Calculus  

Fifth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

1857-9

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Calculus   

Fifth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

1860-1863

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Differential and Integral Calculus         [Change in OROC not in the textbook]

Fifth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

1864                                         [Back to 4 year program; the only change is the names of the years.]

Third Class:

Davies’ Descriptive Geometry

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Spherical Projections and Warped Surfaces

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Differential and Integral Calculus   

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Church’s  Descriptive Geometry                                             [First edition 1864]

1865-1867               

Third Class:

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections.  

Davies’ Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Calculus   

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Church’ Descriptive Geometry

1866-1873

Third Class:

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections.  

Church's Shades, Shadows & Perspective

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry               

Church’s Calculus   

Fourth Class:

Davies’ Bourdon’s Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry & Trigonometry

Church’ Descriptive Geometry

1874-1878

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra                                              [Bourdon removed]

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry and Trigonometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections

Church’s Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Davies’ Surveying

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Calculus

1879

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Church's Plane and Spherical Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying   [Previously used in the second year]

Church’s Analytical Geometry   [Previously used in the second year]

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections

Church’s Calculus

Church’s Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Davies’ Surveying

Chauvenet’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1880-1887

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Church's Plane and Spherical Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying   [Previously used in the second year]

Church’s Analytical Geometry   [Previously used in the second year]

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections

Church’s Calculus

Church’s Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Chauvenet’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1888-1890

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Ludlow's Elements of Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying  

Church’s Analytical Geometry  

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections

Bass’ Introduction to the Differential Calculus

Church’s Calculus

Church’s Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Chauvenet’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1891

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Ludlow's Elements of Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying  

Church’s Analytical Geometry  

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections

Bass’ Introduction to the Differential Calculus

Church’s Calculus

Church’s Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Johnson’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1892

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Ludlow's Elements of Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying  

Church’s Analytical Geometry  

Ludlow's Logarithmic Tables.  For reference.

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections

Bass’ Introduction to the Differential Calculus

Church’s Calculus

Church’s Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Johnson’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1893-1895

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Ludlow's Elements of Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying  

Church’s Analytical Geometry  

Ludlow's Logarithmic Tables.  For reference.

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections, Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Bass’ Introduction to the Differential Calculus

Church’s Calculus

Johnson’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1896-1898

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Ludlow's Elements of Trigonometry

Davies’ Surveying  

Church’s Analytical Geometry  

Ludlow's Logarithmic Tables.  For reference.

Second Year - Third Class

Church’s Analytical Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections, Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Bass’ Differential Calculus

Church’s Integral Calculus

Johnson’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

1899

First Year - Fourth Class

Davies’ Elements of Algebra

Davies’ Legendre’s Geometry

Ludlow's Elements of Trigonometry

C. Smith's Conic Sections

Peck's Determinants

Davies’ Surveying  

Ludlow's Logarithmic Tables.  For reference.

Second Year - Third Class

C. Smith's Conic Sections and Solid Geometry

Church’s Descriptive Geometry, with its application to Spherical Projections, Shades, Shadows and Perspective

Bass’ Differential Calculus

Church’s Integral Calculus

Johnson’s Treatise on the Method of Least Squares

2000