The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.

London: William Pickering, 1847.

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(Item #3024) The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners. Euclid, Oliver Byrne.

"One of the oddest and most beautiful books of the whole century"

(Item #3024) The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners. Euclid, Oliver Byrne.

The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.

London: William Pickering, 1847. First edition. A lovely copy in the publisher's original cloth, complete and completely unrestored. Spine cloth a bit faded and minor splits to the crown and lower joint. Original yellow coated end papers, bookplate of Sir Robert Peel on the front paste-down, twice British Prime Minister. Light foxing throughout, but an excellent authentic copy overall.

The only edition of Byrne's stunning rendering of Euclidean geometry, it has been deemed "one of the oddest and most beautiful books of the whole century" (McLean). Printed in primary colors using four-color printing, Byrne's choice of method was both practical and aesthetic. In addition to creating a beautiful text, "the stark use of primary colors was envisaged by Byrne as a teaching aid" in which "each page is a unique riot of red, yellow, and blue, attaining a verve not seen again on book pages till the days of Dufy, Matisse, and Derain" (McLean). (Item #3024)

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The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.
The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners.