A rare first edition copy of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia is set to cross the block at Christie's on December 14 with an estimate of $1m-1.5m.

The full title of the work is Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. It was published in 1687 and is considered one of the foundational texts of modern science.

Isaac Newton's Principia is one of the foundational texts of physics

It lays out Newton's theories on the basic laws of physics, such as gravity and motion.

The book is one of a small number printed for distribution in continental Europe and differs slightly from the one published in England.

King James I's personal copy of the Principia sold for $2.5m in 2013 against a much lower estimate.

The importance of the work to science is likely to see it perform a similar feat.

As Keith Moore of the Royal Society Library explained to the Guardian: "People who have big books these days maybe are the kinds of people who have made their money on the internet or the web...

"If you have a few million quid to spend, why wouldn't you buy a copy of Principia Mathematica?

"If you've made your money from a really cool algorithm, you will probably appreciate Newtonian physics."

The sale will also feature Henry Garlic Sherwood's original plan for Salt Lake City.