[this web page last updated 5 May
2008]
Euclid's Elements
All Thirteen Books in One Volume
 Green
Lion Press has prepared a new one-volume edition of T.L. Heath's translation
of the thirteen books of Euclid's Elements. In keeping with Green
Lion's design commitment, diagrams have been placed on every spread for
convenient reference while working through the proofs; running heads on
every page indicate both Euclid's book number and proposition numbers for
that page; and adequate space for notes is allowed between propositions
and around diagrams. The all-new index has built into it a glossary of Euclid's
Greek terms.
Heath's translation has stood the test of time, and, as one done
by a renowned scholar of ancient mathematics, it can be relied upon not
to have inadvertantly introduced modern concepts or nomenclature.
We have excised the voluminous historical and scholarly commentary
that swells the Dover edition to three volumes and impedes classroom use
of the original text. The single volume is not only more convenient, but
less expensive as well.
7 x 10", 527 pages.
Clothbound with dust jacket, ISBN 1888009-18-7, $38.
Sewn softcover, ISBN 1888009-19-5, $24.95.
Shipping date August 2002.
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10% Discount
for Online Purchases
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from the reviews
"At the
age of eleven, I began Euclid, with my brother as my tutor. This was one
of the
great events of my life, as dazzling as first love. I had not imagined
that there
was anything so delicious in the world."
---Bertrand Russell
"Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare."
---Edna St. Vincent Millay
Sample pages from the book
(viewing pdf text requires Adobe Acrobat Reader: Click
here to download Acrobat PDF reader.)
Book I through Proposition 7 (in PDF format)
Selection from the Green Lion's Index and Glossary
(in PDF format)
The Green Lion's Preface (from the book)
Euclid's Elements has stood for well over two millenia as the
exemplar,
not just of classical geometry, but of the axiomatic and deductive
structure
characteristic of all pure mathematics. Its range goes beyond what we
think
of as geometry, extending to the general theory of proportions, number
theory,
and an innovative and ingenious treatment of incommensurability.
Euclid speaks to us with a voice as clear and universal as laughter.
The simplicity,
clarity and elegance of Euclid's proofs and the beautiful sequence of
their
unfoldings both delight and instruct. They provide a paradigm of what
constructing
a proof means and an education in how it is done.
Why a New Edition of Euclid?
Students of Euclid have long been needing an unabridged one-volume
edition
of the Elements.
All thirteen books were included in Encyclopaedia Britannica's
series, Great
Books of the Western World, but that generally required purchase of
the
complete set of volumes. Even if one could acquire an individual volume,
the
presentation of the text was hardly suited to serious study. The type
was tiny
and so crammed on the page that there was no space for writing notes.
The paper
used for the pages was tissue-thin so that any attempt to make notes or
mark
the diagrams as one worked through the proof resulted in show-through
and torn
paper. It could be used for reference, which was the primary intent of
that
series, but it was not suited for anyone actually working through the
propositions.
Dover has done us all the service of keeping in print a
photo-reproduction
of Heath's original Cambridge University Press translation and
commentary, in
three volumes. We are grateful for this and hope that they will continue
to
keep it in print. But that edition has several drawbacks for someone
whose primary
interest is in reading Euclid as opposed to reading Heath.
First there is the inconvenience of having the book divided into three
volumes.
One must cart them all around or risk not having the right one in class
or at
hand. Even at home one finds oneself trying to remember which volume a
particular
proposition would be in. In class there is a tendency when working on
the later
books to stop carrying the earlier volumes, with the result that, when a
question
comes up about an early proposition, Euclid's wording or proof cannot be
consulted.
Perhaps even more inconvenient and disruptive of the study of Euclid's
actual
text is the sheer volume of Heath's historical and scholarly commentary
interspersing
itself among the propositions. It makes it difficult to find
propositions, and
to move from one to the next requires carefully paging through extensive
commentary
looking for where Euclid's actual text resumes. One doesn't get a clean
picture
of the flow of Euclid's development, which is the great beauty of his
work.
We ourselves have experienced these inconveniences as scholars and in
the classroom.
For these reasons and in response to many requests from other users and
teachers
of Euclid, Green Lion Press has prepared this one-volume, clean,
student-friendly,
Euclid-centered edition of the complete text of all thirteen books of
Elements.
Design Features of this Edition
The design and layout of this Green Lion edition provide ample space
around
both text and figures, and between propositions, to allow for notes.
Substantial,
fine quality paper of high opacity has been used for durability under
heavy
use and to further support the reader's own annotations.
Type size of the proposition numbers, space between propositions, and
size
and placement of the running heads, make it easy to see which book and
proposition
one is looking at and to turn quickly and easily to another proposition
one
may wish to consult.
The typesetting is entirely new for crisp reproduction. Drawings have
been
newly lettered and largely redrawn. In some few cases, where the
original diagram
was confusing or hard to read (for example, XII. 16), they have been
redrawn
differently from Heath's diagrams.
In keeping with Green Lion standard practice, diagrams always appear
on the
same spread as any text which refers to them, being repeated as often as
necessary
to maintain this. The reader never needs to be paging back and forth to
look
at the diagram while following the steps of the proof, as in other
editions.
Our extensive index includes the Greek for a large number of the
entries, comprising
all the basic geometrical terminology, making it a valuable glossary of
Euclid's
mathematical language. It is designed to help students find the
definitions
of crucial terms as well as the chief propositions in which they are
used.
Nevertheless, several fundamental Euclidean terms require more
extensive introduction
than a glossary can provide. For these we have provided a section on
Euclidean
terminology, where the reader will find discussions of same ratio and
compound
ratio, reductio ad absurdum, terms such as porism and lemma, and a
review of
the principal parts of a Euclidean proposition.
The Bones
Active users of Euclid will be interested in our companion volume, The
Bones. This is a pocket reference edition of Euclid's Elements
with diagrams and enunciations for every proposition, but no proofs. It allows
one to quickly find a proposition one needs or remembers without having to leaf
through so many pages. Sometimes one remembers what the diagram looks like and
can most easily find it by scanning the diagrams. Other times one might want
to look at the wording of the propositions' enunciations to find the right one.
For those who have often said to themselves or their classmates or colleagues,
"Didn't Euclid have a proposition about that?"(as we certainly have),
this little reference book will be the one to reach for in order to answer the
question. Now shipping.
Publication date, August 2002.
Now shipping.
Sewn softcover, ISBN 1-888009-19-5, List price
$29.95.
10% discount for online orders.
For domestic orders we add a flat shipping charge of $7 regardless of
the number of items. For international shipping we add a flat shipping charge
of $14. International shipments of this book go by air when possible (depends
on country).
Clothbound with Dust Jacket, ISBN 1-888009-18-7, List price
$42.00.
10% discount for online orders.
For domestic orders we add a flat shipping charge of $7 regardless of
the number of items. For international shipping we add a flat shipping charge
of $14.
Click here to go to Green Lion Press
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