CLAVIUS, CHRISTOPH ELEMENTORUM LIBRI XV. ACCESSIT LIBER XVI. DE QUINQUE SOLIDORUM REGULARIUM INTER SE COMPARATIONE Coloniae: Apud Petrum Cholinum, 1627
8vo. Contemporary vellum on boards. Spotting to covers. Title on separate paper glued to spine. Very clean internally. Previous owner’s monogram in red ink on free end paper dated 1647. Collation:238 p. + woodcut diagrams in text with occasional floral vine decoration.
Clavius was a Jesuit who taught mathematics at the Collegio Romano starting in 1565 while still a student and remained there as professor of Mathematics till 1595 when he moved to Naples. Clavius was one of the major architects of the Georgian calendar reform of 1582. His work on astronomy influenced Galileo. His first publication on Euclid’s Elements was in 1574, The Elements of Euclid (Latin) was a major contribution that contains “a vast quantity of notes collected from previous commentators and editors, as well as some good criticisms and elucidations of his own. Clavius made a new attempt at proving the ‘postulate of parallels.‘” His contemporaries called him “the Euclid of the sixteenth century.” (DSB p.311.) Although the original Elements has undergone a number of printings , 6 during Clavius’ life time and 5 posthumously, copies of Clavius Elements are very scarce today. The present copy is the second posthumous printing. This copy contains his work on “parallels and in the introduction a discussion of the quadrivium (including mathematics) of the seven liberal arts. There is also a Book XVI, a modern addition by Francois de Foix, Comte de Candalle.” (George Mason University Special Collections - Not on OCLC, Only institution having copy)
$US1800
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