If we really desire to advance to a full understanding of the theory of logarithms, it is best to follow in broad outline the history of its creation.

Elementarmathematik vom höheren Standpunkte aus (1908) p. 325. As quoted by Florian Cajori, "History of the Exponential and Logarithmic Concepts" I. From Napier to Leibniz and John Bernoulli I. 1614-1712. The American Mathematical Monthly (Jan, 1913) Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 5.