WIDMANN, RECHNUNG AUF ALLEN KAUFMANNSCHAFTEN, LEIPZIG, 1489, OLD VELLUM

8vo (135 x 98mm.), 231 leaves (of 237), [a8] b-c8 d8+1 e-z A-F8 G4, 22 lines, gothic type, woodcut armorial on title-page with the arms of Leipzig (hand-coloured), woodcut diagrams, old vellum, nineteenth-century red paper lettering-piece on spine, in red case made for Honeyman, lacking k7-8 and l1-2 and l7 (all supplied in facsimile) and final blank leaf, d3 misprinted at foot, woodcut at end of quire d slightly shaved, C7 torn in margin, lettering-piece torn

"R.B.H. 10/31", Robert B. Honeyman (1897-1987), sale in these rooms, 20 May 1981, lot 3115, to Dr Paul C. Martin, £2,000; Hartung & Hartung, sale, 6 November 2001, lot 242, DM13,800, Erwin Tomash

Tomash & Williams W47; ISTC iw00014000; Hoock & Jeannin W7.1; Smith, Rara arithmetica p.38; Stillwell II.253

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 EDITION, RARE. "Widman's arithmetic was the first great German textbook on the subject... It is in the main a practical treatise, with good problems, and it set the standard for Germany much as Borghi's book did for Italy. Among its noteworthy features is the use of the plus and minus signs for the first time in a printed work" (Smith, p.39). It covers counting with whole numbers, proportion, and geometry, and as part of the first generation of mathematical works to come off the printing press, it had widespread readership and impact, until superseded by the works of Adam Riese. Widmann, from Eger (now Cheb, Czech Republic) studied mathematics and medicine in Leipzig and later taught mathematics there; he is considered one of the main promoters of algebra in the late fifteenth century, along with Regiomontanus. For a later edition of this work on practical mercantile problems, see lot 692.

A census of copies with some copy-specific details is provided by Barbara Gartner, Johannes Widmanns "Behende und hubsche Rechnung": die Textsorte "Rechenbuch" in der Frühen Neuzeit (Tübingen, 2000), pp.43-44.