Mathematical Treasure: Hill's Arithmetick

Author(s):

Frank J. Swetz (Pennsylvania State University)

Arithmetick, Both in the Theory and Practice (1772) is a comprehensive 18th century arithmetic text intended for commercial training. In 416 pages, it covers topics such as percentage, commissions, monetary exchange, arithmetic and geometric progressions, and the use of logarithms. Although Humphrey Ditton, a respected mathematician of the time, provided a Preface for the work, little is known about the author, John Hill, other than that he described himself as a ‘Gentleman’. Other existing mathematics texts of this same period bear the authorship of a John Hill, Accountant. Such an occupation would seem likely for the author of this Arithmetick, for which the title page is shown above.