CALANDRI, ARITMETICA, FLORENCE, 1491, LATER VELLUM

8vo (141 x 95mm.), 104 leaves, a4 b-i8 l-o8 p4, partly double column, 26 lines, 3- and 4-line initial spaces with printed guides, gothic type, woodcut illustrations (some full-page), later Italian vellum, several signatures shaved, first few leaves with marginal repairs, l7-8 repaired

Edouard Rahir (1862-1924), gilt book label, sale, Paris, 6 May 1931, lot 273, Libreria Hoepli; Piero Ginori Conti (1865-1939), bookplate; Christie's, 27 November 1991, £10,000, Erwin Tomash

Tomash & Williams C9; ISTC ic00034000; Hoock & Jeannin C2; Sander 1523; Smith, Rara arithmetica pp.47-49

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 OF THE FIRST ILLUSTRATED ITALIAN BOOK ON ARITHMETIC containing woodcuts to demonstrate the problems; it also contains the first appearance in print of long division and of the word "zero". It was dedicated to Giuliano de' Medici, the 12-year-old son of Lorenzo the Magnificent who later became Pope Leo X. Calandri complains in his preface to Giuliano about the problems of printing the work, most likely because the use of woodcut illustrations was new to Florentine printing (the first incunable with woodcuts was produced in Florence in 1490). It was reprinted in Florence in 1518. The woodcuts comprise not just decorative borders but also a portrait of Pythagoras in his study, hand signals for various numbers, and engaging representations of various problems such as ascertaining the volume of barrels and water troughs, how much of a broken tree has fallen and how much is still standing, and how long it takes various big cats to eat a sheep.

Lorenzo Morgiani was a prolific printer who began in Florence in 1490 and probably died in the early sixteenth century. He worked in association with a German printer, Johannes Petri of Mainz, who had been active as a printer in Florence since 1472, partly in association with the San Jacopo a Ripoli press.