GUTIERREZ DE GUALBA, ARTE BREVE Y MUY PROVECHOSO, TOLEDO, 1539

FIRST EDITION, 4to (195 x 150mm.), large woodcut arms on title, contemporary calf with remains of arms gilt, one silk tie, modern folding cloth box, lacks 3 blanks at end, title neatly restored with small area of pen facsimile on arms and text on verso, small tear at head of A6, binding rubbed

Robert B. Honeyman (1897-1987), sale in these rooms, 20 May 1981, lot 3255, £260, Richard Gurney; bought from Gurney, 1983

Tomash & Williams G108; Hoock & Jeannin G20.1 (Madrid, BN); Palau 111616; Pérez Pastor, Toledo, 184; USTC 336760 (2 copies); Víctor Navarro Brotóns, Bibliographia physico-mathematica hispanica 1475-1900 (Valencia 1999), 399

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This commercial arithmetic was entirely unknown to the early historians of mathematics, except Felipe Picatoste y Rodríguez, Apuntes para una biblioteca cientifica española del XVI (Madrid 1891), p.362. Hoock & Jeannin list editions of 1539, 1564, 1566, 1569; an edition of 1531 cited by Smith, Rara arithmetica, p.167, is not validated by other bibliographers.