Euclid.

first edition in English, folio (302 x 207mm.), title within woodcut border, woodcut initials and tailpieces, woodcut diagrams (34 woodcuts in Book XI with folded slips pasted over), woodcut portrait of John Daye above colophon, folding table at end of preface, seventeenth- or early eighteenth-century calf, spine gilt in compartments, title slightly browned and creased, 2 tears to folding table restored, occasional light spotting and dampstaining, pp.336-338 with paper flaw in lower margin, edges rubbed, joints splitting

Algernon Capell, Earl of Essex, Viscount Malden and Baron Capell of Hadham, bookplate (dated 1701) on verso of title; Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, bookplate

ESTC S106699; Steck III.79; Thomas-Stanford 41

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."

Sir Henry Billingsley, later mayor of London, used the translations of Campanus of Novara (a medieval Latin translation first printed in Venice in 1482) and Bartolomeo Zamberti (a new translation from Greek into Latin printed in 1505). Billingsley owned a copy of the Greek editio princeps, but his copy of the 1558 Basel compilation of Campanus and Zamberti contains copious annotations, and may well have served as the basis for his version rather than this copy of the Greek text (where the annotations are far fewer); both books are in Princeton.

The famous preface by John Dee states quite clearly that the translation was intended to help "common artificers", and stresses the utilitarian aspect of geometry and the importance of experiment. It was reprinted in 1651 and Dee's preface was quoted in 1654 in the context of teaching mathematics in the universities as a practical subject.