Milestones of Science Books

FINÉ, Oronce.

Protomathesis: opus varium, ac scitu non minus utile quam iucundum, nunc primum in lucem foeliciter excusum.

Paris: G. Morrhy & J. Pierre, 1530.

1st Edition. Soft cover. Very Good. Item #003424

1530-1532. Folio (368 x 265 mm). [8], 207 (i.e., 209), [1] leaves. Signatures: 2A⁸ A-L⁸ M-N⁶ O-2B⁸ 2C⁶ 2D⁸. Leaves F8 and N6 within pagination are blanks, errata leaf at end. Title within architectural woodcut border by Lassere after Finé's design. Part titles of "De geometria" dated 1530 and of "De solaribus horologiis" 1531. Dedication f. AA2r printed within woodcut border (with monogram "O F"). Large woodcut of Urania and the author beneath a celestial sphere (facing f. 1r, without name), repeated in the "Cosmographia" section (f. 101v, with name "Orontius"); large woodcut of a water-clock, repeated; 280 other woodcuts in the text; and numerous large historiated woodcut initials and headpieces, woodcut device at the end. Bound in its first, contemporary, limp vellum, spine lettered in ink (vellum somewhat wrinkled, soiled and spotted, slightly shrinked towards spine, bound without final flyleaf). Light browning of text, occasional light dampstaining to outer margins, some minor soiling and ink smudging, some mostly marginal spotting, long closed tear in f. 1 without loss of text, closed short tear at gutter of 2D7-8, f. 56 with manuscript ruler. In all an excellent copy well preserved in its original binding. ----

FIRST COLLECTED EDITION, containing the original publications of many of Fine's texts. The initial two parts of the Protomathesis deal with arithmetics and geometry, the third with cosmography, and the fourth with gnomonics. Oronce Finé (1494-1555) was Regius professor of mathematics and dedicated the volume to king François I. He published on a wide range of topics, and was interested in practical concerns as well as abstract debates, so while he is remembered for theoretical achievements, such as giving the value of pi correct to four decimal places, he also worked extensively with instruments and maps. Finé represented the mathematical culture of the renaissance, encompassing geometry, surveying, optics, cosmography, cartography, and astronomy.
"The Protomathesis is the most important of the books illustrated by Finé" (Johnson). "His work as a designer is closely related to his major fields of mathematics, astronomy, and geography, and his contribution to book production is particularly interesting in extending beyond the illustration to the ornamenting of scientific texts" (Mortimer).
"'De arithmetica practica', the first part, is Finé's only work on arithmetics . . . The various operations carried out on the numbers were enumerated and described following a plan that distinguished whole numbers, common fractions, and natural or sexagesimal fractions. The latter were of particular interest to practitioners of Alphonsine astronomy, since they were the basis of their preferred mathematical tool . . . The two books on geometry treated the subject at a more elementary level . . . The 'Cosmographia' includes the description of the fixed celestial sphere used for reference, the essential ideas concerning the astronomy of the 'primum mobile' and a brief notion of astronomical geography . . . 'De solaribus horologiis et quadrantibus' [includes] a treatise on the new quadrant. Among the many types of sundials described in this book are a multiple dial and a 'navicula'" (DSB XV, p.154 ff). - Visit our website to see more images!

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