Medieval mathematics from number theory to music and gaming

Jordanus Nemorarius. In hoc opere contenta: Arithmetica decem libris demonstrata. Musica libris demonstrata quatuor. Epitome in libros Arithmeticos divi Severini Boetii. Rithmimachie ludus qui et pugna numeroru[m] appellatur.

€ 9,500.00

A compilation of four medieval and Renaissance treatises on mathematics and its applications, from number theory to music and gaming. Including the work of Jordanus de Nemore (or Nemorarius, d. after 1250), a German contemporary of Fibonacci credited with inventing the use of letters for variables in equations, this volume was formerly part the of illustrious Erwin Tomash Library on the History of Computing, which comprised notable books and manuscripts on mathematical topics from the twelfth century onwards.

Diligently revised to ensure the accuracy of the equations, a colophon on the verso of the final leaf states that this second edition of the 1496 original was printed on 7 September 1514. The four works contained in the volume, although notionally devoted to a broad range of topics, are united by having mathematics at their heart.

The first and longest treatise (Arithmetica decem libris demonstrata, "Arithmetic demonstrated in ten books") discusses topics such as as parts of numbers, exponentials, geometric forms and infinity. Jordanus, the author, was also the first to formulate correctly the law of the inclined plane.

The next work, by the French mathematician and philosopher Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples (Johannes Faber Stapulensis, d. ca. 1536), who also edited the volume, discusses music theory from a mathematical perspective. This is followed by the same author's epitome of the Arithmetica of the late antique scholar Boethius, whose work formed the basis of medieval mathematical thought.

Finally, there is a short dialogue presenting the rules of the game Rithmomachy, a mathematically complicated board-game popular from the Middle Ages through the end of the sixteenth century. This piece appears to be derived from a manuscript of the noted scholar John Shirwood (d. 1494), Bishop of Durham and English ambassador to the Holy See. Notoriously complicated but celebrated for its potential to illustrate sublime mathematical principles, Rithmomachy was roughly similar to chess, but with each piece assigned a numerical value.

Together, the pieces make up a volume that shows the incredible sophistication of and breadth of applications for mathematics in the sixteenth century. A rarity on the market: Rare Book Hub records only two other copies for sale since 1990.

A beautiful volume that showcases both the theoretical study and the wide-ranging uses of mathematics in medieval and Renaissance Europe, from the classroom to the gaming board.