FINE, PROTOMATHESIS, PARIS, 1532, CONTEMPORARY VELLUM

FIRST EDITION, folio (338 x 240mm.), title within woodcut architectural border, dedication within woodcut border and with woodcut initial, large woodcut illustration of an armillary sphere on AA8v and O1v, full-page cut of a water-clock on X1v and Cc5v, smaller woodcut diagrams, large and small initials, contemporary vellum, title trimmed at head, some slight dampstaining, binding rebacked

bought from The Antiquarian Scientist, Acton, MA, 1987

Tomash & Williams F64; BP16 107853; Hilliard & Poule no. 8; Mortimer, Harvard French 225; Smith, Rara arithmetica pp.160-162; USTC 138121

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."

First collected edition and first printing of much of the writing of Fine, a polymath accomplished in graphic design as well as in the mathematical disciplines. As acknowledged on the title-page verso, Fine was responsible not only for the text of the book, but for its profusion of woodcuts; they range from simple outline diagrams to views of surveying operations and scientific instruments, including a clepsydra, or water-clock, which Fine invented. Among the other decorative elements of Protomathesis is an alphabet of large woodcut initials, one of which includes a self-portrait of the author (the O on R6v). Many of these blocks were reused throughout the next decade in the series of scientific treatises by Fine printed by Simon de Colines. “The work is divided into four sections: arithmetic, surveying, cosmography (earth-centered astronomy) and dialing. It was written between 1530 and 1532, with the title pages of individual sections bearing different dates. The work contains a multi-page sexagesimal multiplication table for use in making astronomical calculations” (Tomash & Williams).