

Oliver Byrne's edition of Euclid  - wyclif
http://sunsite.ubc.ca/DigitalMathArchive/Euclid/byrne.html

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wyclif
I submitted this because I've been poking around in my Dover edition of
Euclid. Then, yesterday, I found this site. To me it's like what Edward Tufte
would do if he published Euclid (Byrne was a 19th-century civil engineer and
surveyor from Ireland).

To my delight, I noticed that Taschen has republished this wonderful edition,
so I ordered it from Amazon and I'm now awaiting delivery so I can peruse it,
enjoy it, and keep it for my children's future math education:

[http://www.amazon.com/Six-Books-Euclid-Werner-
Oechslin/dp/38...](http://www.amazon.com/Six-Books-Euclid-Werner-
Oechslin/dp/3836517752/)

~~~
nandemo
It looks beautiful but the font is awkward to read. In particular "s" looks
like an "f".

~~~
zbyszek
I used to have facsimile editions of Defoe's novels, replete with these long
s's, and found that the unfamiliarity soon fades and you cease to notice them.

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petercooper
Last week I received the new TASCHEN print of Byrne's Six Books of Euclid. It
is gorgeous and considered a "facsimile" of the original. It comes in a box
with a separate "behind the scenes" book.

See for example spreads, etc:
[http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/classics/all/06724...](http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/classics/all/06724/facts.byrne_six_books_of_euclid.htm)

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tptacek
I just bought this for Erin, and it arrived today. It is indeed impressive
looking. I didn't realize it was going to come in a box set.

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wyclif
Would love to read a review.

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chrismealy
Check it out on Google books:
[http://books.google.com/books?id=HdRbAAAAQAAJ&dq=Oliver%...](http://books.google.com/books?id=HdRbAAAAQAAJ&dq=Oliver%20Byrne%20%20Euclid&pg=PR8#v=thumbnail&q&f=false)

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ZeroGravitas
Annoyingly the web preview is in color, but the PDF download is black and
white only.

Actually, on closer inspection the download is missing many of the larger
diagrams completely for some reason, while others are rendered without color.

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pvg
It's both beautiful and meticulous. Its aesthetic merits aside, I am fairly
skeptical the presentation actually offers any improved elucidation of or
insight into _The Elements_

~~~
zb
If you compare Byrne's version side-by-side with another (as Tufte does in
_Envisioning Information_ ) then I think you'll agree that it's much easier to
follow.

~~~
pvg
I don't have Tufte's example in front of me, but I really don't find it any
easier to follow.

Compare, side by site

[http://sunsite.ubc.ca/DigitalMathArchive/Euclid/bookI/images...](http://sunsite.ubc.ca/DigitalMathArchive/Euclid/bookI/images/bookI-1.html)

and the drab

[http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/bookI/propI1....](http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/bookI/propI1.html)

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starkfist
FYI if you're in NYC St. Mark's books has it and it is discounted at the
Strand.

