Treviso Arithmetic
Encyclopedia
The Treviso Arithmetic, or Arte dell'Abbaco, is an anonymous textbook in commercial arithmetic written in vernacular Venetian and published in Treviso
, Italy
in 1478.
The author tells us the reason for writing this textbook:
The Treviso Arithmetic is the earliest known printed mathematics book in the West, and one of the first printed European textbooks dealing with a science.
translated parts of the Treviso Arithmetic for educational purposes in 1907. Frank J. Swetz translated the complete work using Smith's notes in 1987 in his Capitalism & Arithmetic: The New Math of the 15th Century. Swetz used a copy of the Treviso housed in the Manuscript Library at Columbia University. The volume found its way to this collection via a curious route. Maffeo Pinelli (1785), an Italian bibliophile, is the first known owner. After his death his library was purchased by a London book dealer and sold at auction on February 6, 1790. The book was obtained for three shillings by Mr. Wodhull . About 100 years later the Arithmetic appeared in the library of Brayton Ives, a New York lawyer. When Ives sold the collection of books at auction, George Arthur Plimpton
, a New York publisher, acquired the Treviso and made it an acquisition to his extensive collection of early scientific texts. Plimpton donated his library to Columbia University
in 1936.. Original copies of the Treviso Arithmetic are extremely rare.
There are 123 pages of text with 32 lines of print to a page. The pages are unnumbered, untrimmed and have wide margins. Some of the margins contain written notes. The size of the book is 14.5 cm by 20.6 cm.
The book included information taken from the 1202 Liber Abaci
, such as lattice multiplication. George G. Joseph, "Crest of the Peacock' suggests that Napier read this book to create Napier's bones
, or Napier's rods.
It helped to end the monopoly on mathematical knowledge and gave important information to the middle class. It was not written for a large audience, but intended to teach mathematics of everyday currency.
The Treviso became one of the first mathematics books that were written for the expansion of human knowledge. It gave opportunity for the common person to learn the art of computation instead of only a privileged few. The Treviso Arithmetic provided an early example of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system and computational algorithms.
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1478.
The author tells us the reason for writing this textbook:
The Treviso Arithmetic is the earliest known printed mathematics book in the West, and one of the first printed European textbooks dealing with a science.
The Arithmetic as an early printed book
There appears to have been only one edition of the work. David Eugene SmithDavid Eugene Smith
David Eugene Smith, Ph.D., LL.D. was an American mathematician, educator, and editor.-Education and career:...
translated parts of the Treviso Arithmetic for educational purposes in 1907. Frank J. Swetz translated the complete work using Smith's notes in 1987 in his Capitalism & Arithmetic: The New Math of the 15th Century. Swetz used a copy of the Treviso housed in the Manuscript Library at Columbia University. The volume found its way to this collection via a curious route. Maffeo Pinelli (1785), an Italian bibliophile, is the first known owner. After his death his library was purchased by a London book dealer and sold at auction on February 6, 1790. The book was obtained for three shillings by Mr. Wodhull . About 100 years later the Arithmetic appeared in the library of Brayton Ives, a New York lawyer. When Ives sold the collection of books at auction, George Arthur Plimpton
George Arthur Plimpton
George Arthur Plimpton was an American publisher and philanthropist.Plimpton was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, the son and grandson of iron manufacturers. He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy in 1873 and Amherst College in 1876...
, a New York publisher, acquired the Treviso and made it an acquisition to his extensive collection of early scientific texts. Plimpton donated his library to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1936.. Original copies of the Treviso Arithmetic are extremely rare.
There are 123 pages of text with 32 lines of print to a page. The pages are unnumbered, untrimmed and have wide margins. Some of the margins contain written notes. The size of the book is 14.5 cm by 20.6 cm.
The book included information taken from the 1202 Liber Abaci
Liber Abaci
Liber Abaci is a historic book on arithmetic by Leonardo of Pisa, known later by his nickname Fibonacci...
, such as lattice multiplication. George G. Joseph, "Crest of the Peacock' suggests that Napier read this book to create Napier's bones
Napier's bones
Napier's bones is an abacus created by John Napier for calculation of products and quotients of numbers that was based on Arab mathematics and lattice multiplication used by Matrakci Nasuh in the Umdet-ul Hisab and Fibonacci writing in the Liber Abaci. Also called Rabdology...
, or Napier's rods.
Why it was made
The Treviso Arithmetic is a practical book intended for self study and for use in Venetian trade. It is written in vernacular Venetian and communicated knowledge to a large population.It helped to end the monopoly on mathematical knowledge and gave important information to the middle class. It was not written for a large audience, but intended to teach mathematics of everyday currency.
The Treviso became one of the first mathematics books that were written for the expansion of human knowledge. It gave opportunity for the common person to learn the art of computation instead of only a privileged few. The Treviso Arithmetic provided an early example of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system and computational algorithms.