Preclarissimus liber elementorum Euclidis perspicacissimi: in artem geometrie incipit qua[m] foelicissime
Contributors: Adelard, of Bath, approximately 1116-1142, translator; Campano, da Novara, -1296, commentator; Mocenigo, Giovanni, 1408-1485, dedicatee; Hypsicles, of Alexandria; Isidorus, of Miletus, 6th century; Gherardo, da Cremona, 1113 or 1114-1187, translator; Ratdolt, Erhard, 1447?-1527 or 1528, printer
Publisher: Erhard Ratdolt
Published: 1482
Place of publication: Venice
Language: lat
Number of pages: 138
Subjects: Geometry; Early works to 1800
Other titles: Preclarissimus liber elementorum Euclidis perspicacissimi in artem geometriae incipit qua foelicissime
Work titles: Elementa geometriae
Notes: This is the first printed edition of Euclid's Elements. Issued in Venice in 1482 by the German printer Erhard Ratdolt, it is also thought to be the first book with a known date of publication to contain printed diagrams, hundreds of which are used to illustrate Euclid's theorems.

Title from incipit printed in red on leaf a2 recto.

Imprint and date from colophon on leaf r7 verso, which reads in full: Opus elementoru[m] euclidis megarensis in geometria[m] arte[m] Jn id quoq[ue] Campa-ni p[er]spicacissimi Co[m]mentationes finiu[n]t. Erhardus ratdolt Augustensis impressor solertissimus. venetijs impressit. Anno salutis .M.cccc.lxxxij. Octauis. Calen[das] Jun[is]. Lector. Vale.

Euclid is the author of the first 13 books, Hypsicles of the 14th while the 15th belongs to the school of Isidorus Milesius.

Translated from Arabic into Latin by Adelardus Bathoniensis. The translation of Book 15 is assigned to Gerardus Cremonensis in BSB-Ink.

Revision and commentary by Campanus Novariensis.

At least seven copies have the dedicatory epistle by Erhard Ratdolt to Giovanni Mocenigo printed in gold in a variant typesetting. Copies are also known with leaves 2-9 in variant typesetting (see GW Anm. 2).

Signatures: a℗£́ʻ b-ŕı.

First two leaves (a1-a2) are unsigned; final leaf (r8) is blank.

Woodcut partial border on leaf a2 recto, and woodcut initials throughout.

Mathematical diagrams throughout. For their execution, see Baldasso.

For a stop-press variant, see C. Buhler, A Typographical Error in the Editio Princeps of Euclid, Gutenberg Jahrbuch, 1966, pp. 102-104.

BM 15th century, V, 285

Bod-inc, E-036

BSB-Ink, E-106

Essling, 282

Goff, E113

GW, 9428

Hain Copinger, 6693*

ISTC, ie00113000

Klebs, 383.1

Oates, 1748, 1749

Sander, 2605

Stillwell, M.B. Science, 1450-1550, Mathematics, 163

Thomas-Stanford, C.  Euclid's Elements, 1a

Boston Public Library (Rare Books Department) copy quarterbound in early, mottled sheepskin over bevelled wooden boards. The spine contains an early leather label with the title inscribed. Brass shell clasps are present, along with the remnant of an early sheepskin thong. Bound-in at front is a medieval parchment manuscript leaf with Latin writing on both sides, the verso of which is dated 10 June [?], 1376. This leaf appears to be an original or early front pastedown. The title page contains two early ex-libris inscriptions, both of which are illegible, though one is dated 1550. At the head of the same page are the Roman numerals N XXCCCIII, under which the name Euclidus is inscribed in iron gall ink. In this copy, there is an imposition error affecting sheets n3.6 and n4.5. Most quires contain parchment guards/sewing strips. Leaves a1 and r8 are wanting.