Mathematical Treasure: Pierre de Savonne's Arithmetic

Pierre de Savonne, also known as Talon, was a sixteenth century French mathematician and reckoning master. His L’Arithmetique (1571) provided a strong mathematical reference for the banking and money exchange activities of Savonne’s city of Lyon. The book went through at least five editions extending over one hundred years.

The first page of the text discusses the reading and writing of numbers – that is, numeration.

The naming of numbers continues to larger units.

You can also view nine pages of a 1630 edition of this book.

The images above are provided courtesy of Columbia University Libraries.

Index to Mathematical Treasures