Hamish Riley-Smith

SFORTUNATI,Giovanni of Siena. Nuovo Lume Libro di Arithmetica. Venice, Nicolo di Aristotile detto Zoppino 1534

Quarto, 21.1x15.0cm, grey boards, 129ff + (1) blank, title printed in red and black within elaborate woodcut border containing figures including Archimedes or Euclid pointing with a protractor in his right hand and cherubs holding tablets with arithmetical calculations, woodcut initial on f.3, printed marginilia throughout including arithmetical calculations and some woodcut diagrams, old damp stain on the lower outer corner of the title and on the last leaf, some light browning, a few contemporary marginal annotations in ink in Italian, a very good copy.

First edition by the Italian arithmetician Johannes Infortunatus, who was born at Siena in about 1500. Smith, in Rara Arithmetica, writes that "Sfortunati wrote his treatise along the lines followed by Borghi and Feliciano, and in his preface he acknowledges his indebtedness to them and to 'Maestro Luca dal Borgo dell' ordine di fanto Francesco' and to the 'operetta di Filippo Caladri Cittadino Fiorentino'. Like these authors, he was a popular writer, as the seven editions of his book go to prove. His work is fairly complete as to the operations with integers and fractions, and is satisfactory as to the examples illustrating the Italian business life of the 16th century. The treatise closes with some work in practical mensuration and some mercantile tables".
Smith, Rara Arithmetica, p.174. Adams, Cambridge Libraries S1039 (1 copy). Riccardi I (2), 453. Not in ICA of London Library, ICA of Scotland Library, Herwood Library. Not in Kress or Goldsmith.

£1950

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