About this Item
First edition. In later vellum, using old book binding materials. [2] 3-7 [1]; 8; 8 p. Coll.: A4 A4 a4. Scarce first edition of Rhabdas' work on finger reckoning, together with Bede's text on the same subject. Nicolaus Rhabdas' work on the notation of numbers through finger gestures represents an important contribution to the mathematical knowledge of his era. This volume, the first printed edition of his work, presents the original Greek text alongside a Latin translation by the printer and publisher Fédéric Morel (Federicus Morellus; c. 1523-1583), a renowned humanist scholar based in Paris during the Renaissance. In addition to Rhabdas' treatise, the volume includes a summarized version of Bede the Venerable's work, De computo, vel loquela per gestum digitorum, which addresses the same subject. The book is divided into three sections. The first section, titled "[.] Artabasdae [.] ΠΠΦΡΠΣΠC numerorum notationis [.] Bedae de Indigitatione & manuali loquela Lib. [.]", contains preliminary texts by Fédéric Morel, including a dedication to Lelio Ruini, a distinguished book collector and Apostolic Nuncio to Poland. The second section features Rhabdas' Expositio notationis numerorum digitalis, presented in its original Greek with Morel's accompanying Latin translation. The final section includes Bede's Liber de loquela per gestum digitorum, which provides a condensed overview of the first part of Bede's treatise. Both Rhabdas' and Bede's works explore the practice of representing numbers through finger positions. Often referred to as finger reckoning, this technique primarily served as a mnemonic tool for remembering numbers. It was also used in markets and fairs where traders lacked a common language. Nicolaus Rhabdas (Artabasda or Nicolaus of Smyrna), originally from Smyrna and active in Constantinople between 1320 and 1340, was among the last Greek mathematicians to write in his native language before Greek mathematical texts were revisited in their original form during the Renaissance. He was recognized for his expertise in arithmetic and geometry, though only three of his mathematical works are known to have survived. Rare on the market, RBH has documented the sale of only one copy in the past sixty years. Ref.: Erwin Tomash Library A 104;USTC 6001670 LIterature: Manolova, D., Acerbi, F., & Pérez Martín, I. (2019). The Source of Nicholas Rhabdas' Letter to Khatzykes: An Anonymous Arithmetical Treatise in Vat. Barb. gr. 4. Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik, 68(2018), 1-37. . First title page restored at the gutter, not affecting the text. A tiny wormhole at the lower outer edge on the first three leaves. Contemporary ink numerals on first and last title pages. Brown spottings here and there. Overall in very good condition. In later vellum, using old book binding materials. Seller Inventory # 3296
Contact seller
Report this item
