Euclid's Elements - A 2,500 Year History
Bob Gardner
East Tennessee State University
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Johnson City, TN 37614
The Elements Today
A quick search of the internet reveals that a large number of editions of Euclid's Elements are available for purchase today.
Dover Publications Currently Available Version
Image from:
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486600882.html
Probably the most readily available version is Dover Publication's three volume set of Heiberg and Heath's translation. The first volume includes a 150 page introduction (which is the source of much of the material in this presentation). These paperback editions are available for around $15 each.
Green Lion Press Version
Image from:
http://www.greenlion.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.100.exe/euclid.html?E+scstore
Green Lion Press also has the Heiberg/Heath translation in print in a single volume. The paperback edition is $25 and the hardback edition is $38. It does not seem to include the historical introduction by Heath.
Barnes and Noble Version
Image from:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Elements/Euclid/e/9780760763124/?itm=1
Barnes and Noble has the Heiberg/Heath translation with an introduction by Andrew Aberdein. It is a single volume and sells for $25. It does not seem to include the historical introduction by Heath.
Lulu.com Version
Image from:
http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/euclids-elements/1354389
Lulu.com has an interesting edition of The Elements. On a single page it has the text in Greek (as translated by Heiberg) and along side of it is the same text in English by Richard Fitzpatrick. It sells for $32 in a single hardbound edition, or in three individual volumes which sell for between $15 and $22 each. However, there is a much cheaper option, since this edition can be downloaded for free in PDF form.
Euclid is keeping up with the times and has recently become available for downloading to the electronic book device called a Kindle. All 13 books of The Elements can be downloaded for under $3.00.
Images from: http://www.amazon.com
Other editions available include:
- The Elements of Geometry Including the First Six Books of Euclid by John Playfair.
- Euclid's Elements of Geometry, Containing the Whole Twelve Books to Which are Added, Algebraic Demonstrations to the Second and Fifth Books by George Phillips.
- The Elements of Euclid for the Use of Schools and Colleges by Isaac Todhunter.
- The First Three Books of Euclid's Elements of Geometry from the Text of Dr. Robert Simson Together with Various Theorems and Problems as Geometrical Exercises of Each Book by Thomas Tate.
- The Bones: A Handy, Where-to-find-it Pocket Reference Companion to Euclid's Elements by Dana Densmore is the "bare bones" of the Heiberg/Heath book. It contains the statements of all results and the figures, but not the proofs. It is sort of a portable version of The Elements.
- The newest version of The Elements seems to be by Bernard Vitrac. It includes commentaries and updates Heath's version. It appeared between 1990 and 2001 in four volumes - however, it is in French.
Online Version
Image from:
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/elements/elements.html
Dr. David Joyce of Clark University has a very, very nice version of The Elements posted online. It is similar to Heath's edition, but it is a less literal translation and more readable.
In part to illustrate the use of Java applets in geometry, Clark has created interactive figures generated from the applets. This website is a must-visit! One way to find it is to Google "Euclid's geometry" - it will be the first entry.
The copyright is expired an many of the classical versions of The Elements and copies can be found for free download online. In particular, GoogleBooks and Archive.org have several versions. In particular, the editions by Playfair, Simson, Heath, and Fitzpatrick are available.
Heath’s text (with the 150 page historical introduction and added commentary) is available in HTML (without figures)
from the Perseus Digital Library:
http://old.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Euc.+1.
From this same site, you can also find a copy of J. L. Heiberg’s: Euclidis Elementa, Leipzig: Teubner, 1883-1888. This is the Greek translation by Heiberg (good luck displaying it in Greek).
Euclid's Elements of Geometry is roughly 2,300 years old. It has been published in thousands of different editions. Its format is mimicked today by almost every upper-level math book. More than any other single work, Euclid's Elements has influenced what mathematics is and how it is done. Expect to see it for several thousand more years!
Go to the next section: References.
Last revised November 14, 2009.
