The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid

Oliver BYRNE (1810-1880). The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid. London: [printed by Charles Whittingham for] William Pickering, 1847. Small 4to. (9 x 7 ¼ inches; 230 x 183mm).

First edition of “one of the oddest and most beautiful books of the whole century” (McLean).

Oliver Byrne was an Irish mathematician and engineer who focused greatly on improvements in educational materials for school children. In this marvelous effort, he elucidated the first six books of Euclid’s Elements by coloured graphic explanations of each geometric principle. He designated the angles and lines of geometric figures instead of usual letters throughout the entire book, envisioning such a visual appeal will make it easier for schoolchildren to learn plane geometry.

Exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London 1851, the book was praised for the beauty and artistry of the printing. It was quite unusual of a Science book to showcase such glamour and lavish richness of decorated printing and stands as a true masterpiece of the Victorian era.

The book has become the subject of renewed interest in recent years for its innovative graphic conception and its style which prefigures the modernist experiments of the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements.

Title:The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid

Publisher:William Pickering

Publication Date: 1847

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: First