Apollonius of Pergeus | Conicorum lib. V. VI. VII... paraphraste ab Alphatop Asphahanensi, Florence, 1661, first edition

Apollonius of Perga

Conicorum lib. V. VI. VII... paraphraste ab Alphatop Asphahanensi. Nunc primium editi. Additvs in calce Archimedis. Florence: Giuseppe Cocchini, 1661

First edition of Apollonius' work on conic section preserved through translation.

Originally written as eight books in Greek during the third century, Books V-VII survive due to an Arabic translation of “The Great Geometer’s” work by Thabit ibn Qurra. The fifth book is especially important for its treatment of normals as minimum and maximum straight lines drawn from given points to the curve.

Folio (295 x 195 mm). Half-title, title in red and black, over 400 in-text diagrams, handcolored and black-and-white foliated initials, in-text diagrams, head- and tailpieces; leaves foxed, a few gatherings browned. Modern half stiff vellum over speckled boards, gilt spine label, edges sprinkled brown; vellum lightly spotted. 

REFERENCES

Norman 58; Riccardi I 158

PROVENANCE

M.L. Borromeo Arese/ M. Favia del Core (bookplate)