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Mathematical Treasures - Euclid's Elements from Italy

Author(s): 
Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University)

A particularly ornate copy of the first three books of Euclid’s Elements was produced in Italy in about 1510 (Plimpton MS 214). The title as given on the first page of text is shown below.

First folio of Italian edition of Euclid's Elements, circa 1510

Folios 3v-4 provide some basic definitions.

Folios 3v-4 of Italian edition of Euclid's Elements, circa 1510

The circle and its properties are studied on folios 95v-96.

Folios 95v-96 of Italian edition of Euclid's Elements, circa 1510

An anonymous Italian Euclid from 1541, first folio:

Folio from a 1541 manuscript copy of Euclid's Elements.

Some sample folia:

Folia from a 1541 manuscript copy of Euclid's Elements.

Folia from a 1541 manuscript copy of Euclid's Elements.

The top three images have been obtained through the kind cooperation of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the Columbia University Libraries; the others are from the UC Berkeley Library. These and more images may be accessed via Digital Scriptorium, a digital collection of medieval and early Renaissance manuscripts made available by a consortium of cooperating university libraries headed by the University of California, Berkeley. 

Index to Mathematical Treasures

Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University), "Mathematical Treasures - Euclid's Elements from Italy," Convergence (June 2018)

Mathematical Treasures from the Smith and Plimpton Collections at Columbia University