Preclarissimus liber elementorum Euclidis perspicacissimi in artem geometrie incipit qua[m] foelicissime:.
Euclid.
Hypsicles,of Alexandria
Adelard,of Bath,approximately 1090-approximately 1160.
Campano,da Novara,-1296.
Mocenigo, Giovanni,1408-1485.
Ratdolt, Erhard,1447?-1527 or 1528,printer.
Bartolini family,former owner.StEdNL
Raven, Thomas,former owner.StEdNL
Capuchins.Provincia Veneta.former owner.StEdNL
[Venice] : Erhardus Ratdolt Augustensis impressor solertissimus Venetijs impressit.,
anno salutis M.cccc.lxxxii. Octauis Calen. Jun[ii]. [25 May 1482]
Title from caption, printed in red, at head of recto of leaf a2.
Imprint from colophon.
Translated from Arabic by Adelard of Bath; edited by Campano da Novara. While books I-XIII are Euclid's (cf. Th. Heath. The thirteen books of Euclid's Elements. 1956, v.3, p. 519), Book XIV is a work of the 2d cent. by Hypsicles and book XV the work of a Roman land-surveyor of the 6th century. For a discussion by B.L. van der Waerden of Euclid's sources, see Enc. Brit., 15th ed., Micro. IV, p 589.
A dedicatory letter from the printer Erhard Ratdolt to the doge Giovanni Mocenigo appears on verso of leaf a1.
Colophon (p. [274): Opus elementoru[m] euclidis megarensis in geometria[m] arte[m]. In id quoq[ue] Campani p[er]spicacissimi Co[m]mentationes finiu[n]t. Erhardus ratdolt Augustensis impressor solertissimus venetijs impressit. Anno salutis M.cccc.lxxxii. Octauis Calen. Jun[ii] ...
Woodcut initials, large and small, and diagrams in margins throughout; woodcut three-sided border on recto of leaf a2.
44 lines and head-line. Types: 155 G., heading on 1v; 92 G., pref., definitions, enunciations; 91 G., remainder of text; 100 R., head-lines (book numbers); 56 (75) G., lettering of diagrams. Capital spaces.
Head-line on p. [30] (fol. b6v): Liebr.
Liber III, Propositio 18 (leaf c1r) reads: Si circulu[m] linea recta co[n]tingat: ...
Signatures: a¹⁰ b-r⁸.
With a final blank leaf.
Also published on vellum and illuminated. Variations in the incipit, dedication, headlines in the first signature, etc. are recorded, issued with the same colophon. Cf. BM 15th cent.
"At least seven copies have the dedication printed in gold in a variant typesetting (BL, C.2.c.!; Paris BN (2, 1 on vellum, 1 on paper); Munich BSB (2); Budapest Univ; Augsburg SStB). Copies are known with leaves 2-9 in variant typesetting (see GW Anm. 2). For stop-press variants see C. Bühler in Gb Jb 1966, pp. 102-104"--ISTC.
Recto of leaf a2 has illuminated initial and coloured border.
BM 15th cent.,
ISTC
Rhodes
Goff
BSB-Ink
Bodleian Lib. 15th cent.,
Hain-Copinger
Sander
GW
Klebs
Pellechet
Polain
IDL
IGI
IBP
Sajó-Soltész
Madsen
Lists of fifteenth century books in Edinburgh libraries,
Bartolini arms painted within printed border on recto of leaf a2 between A B, probably Aurelia or possibly Antonio, a child of Baldo Bartolini. Ink inscription on verso of leaf a1: Capuccinorum Venetiarum &.7.25. The name Thomas Raven is gilt stamped on boards along with his arms. Acquired by the Advocates Library sometime in the 19th century.
Early leather over wooden boards with blind stamped borders and title on front and back boards. Evidence of clasps of which nothing remains. Bibliotheca Advocatorum stamp gilt stamped on front and back boards. Modern reback with original spine laid on.
Mathematics, Greek
Geometry
Italy Venice.