Mathematical Treasure: First Printed Greek Euclid's Elements

This is the title page of the first printed Greek language edition of Euclid’s Elements.

The book appeared in 1533 and was printed in Basel.

This Greek edition was prepared by the German theologian Simon Grynäus (1493-1541) using a Latin translation made from the Greek manuscript by Bartolomeo Zamberti in 1505 and two Greek manuscripts supplied by Lazarus Bayfius and Joannes Ruellius (1474-1537).

The dedication page was printed in Latin. The book is dedicated to Cuthbert Tunstall (1474-1559), a well-known priest, scholar, and diplomat for Henry VIII. Tunstall was known for his ability in mathematics and authored the first printed arithmetic book to appear in England (1522).

These images are presented through the courtesy of the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Another of the copies in Mathematical Treasures is from Columbia University.

Index to Mathematical Treasures