Oliver Byrne: The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid Hardcover – December 15, 2013

This is a beautiful book to look at - it is an amazing piece of typography. The language used can be difficult to read (I had no idea that 'conterminous' was even a word, let alone what it meant), so I've found it useful to work through Byrne in conjunction with Heath's translation of The Elements. My original intention in purchasing Oliver Byrne's Six Books of Euclid was to work through Euclid with my children - I was hoping that it would be a more approachable text than Heath's translation. It is in many ways; however there are still many difficulties and subtleties that require concentrated effort. There is no easy road to enlightenment.There are various essays at the end of the book, but I felt that these were a distraction and could easily have been left out - I was after Euclid, and Euclid alone!Recommended if you like thinking about triangles.

A refreshing look at Geometry! All High School Math Teachers should buy it!

Why didn't I think of this? Instead of trying to follow geometric proofs by tediously identifying what line segments and angles are being discussed, Byrne just color-coded them. All you have to do is look. It reduces the tedium of a tough argument to simple. The book cover shows the idea being used to illustrate the Pythagorean theorem. Great idea.My only complaint about the book is that the color renderings aren't as good as they should be. It's not enough of a problem to dock a star, but hopefully the publishers will make a more vibrantly colored edition. I'd buy it if they did.

Son loves this gift book. Was purchased for him at his request. He really likes the color illustrations. Not sure why, but a good choice for the math geek in your life!

I really enjoy this edition. It is in some ways easier to read than a traditional publication. It is beautiful! I really want to purchase books seven through thirteen!Sometimes, however, the use of colors instead of letters makes it more difficult to read. The script, as should be expected, utilizes the antiquated form for "s." I also miss the commentary found in traditional publications, but this conversation is beyond the book's purpose.

This is a fantastic book. The preface explains the whole thing. Using colors instead of labels really cleans up the diagrams and proof text. If you compare one of the proofs from this book to a traditional one the advantage is clear. Even if you don't need to learn this material for school or work it is a beautiful book to browse.

I first saw this at the Morgan Library and I had to have it. I looked for a long time before I finally found it. It's a fetish object for me, a non-mathematician who loves mathematical ideas. I love it. It's gorgeous. It's a work of art (not a workaday textbook -- at least, not yet).

The publisher's marketing copy is an accurate portrayal of this volume's worth, to designers, text book authors and educators. Would that a similarly lucent history be written to outline the evolution of Euclidian concepts from Egyptian fonts; or to chronicle how Hindu, Persian and Islamic cultures advanced and transmitted this knowledge forward unto the modern era. Hope springs eternal...