In one of the most striking editions in the history of mathematical publishing, Oliver Byrne combines Euclid's geometric theories with colour proofs, turning what was already a cornerstone academic text into a work of art.

First published in 1847, Oliver Byrne's Elements of Euclid reworks the first six books of Euclid's Elements, the classic books of geometry written by the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, c. 300 BC. Where earlier editions relied on labelled diagrams and written notation, Byrne replaced the letters with colour. Scattered across each page in brilliant reds, blues, and yellows are triangles, squares, and circles arranged in countless combinations with intersecting lines and numbers.

While Euclid's text remained a classroom essential well into the nineteenth century, Byrne's colourful expression lent itself more readily to the art world. Its graphics anticipate the twentieth-century avant-garde, the coloured forms strikingly close to the work of De Stijl and the Bauhaus produced decades later.

In a celebration of the art found in numbers, Elements of Euclid reproduces a facsimile of Oliver Byrne's original work, taking special care to conserve the colours, shapes, and text as they were printed in 1847.

Book Features:

• A facsimile of Oliver Byrne's 1847 colour-illustrated edition of Euclid's Elements.
• The first six books of Euclid presented in red, yellow, blue, and black geometric diagrams.
• Prefigures work by De Stijl, the Bauhaus, and twentieth-century abstract art.
• A pioneering example of visual pedagogy in the history of mathematics teaching.
• A distinctive gift and coffee table book for designers, mathematicians, and anyone drawn to the beauty of geometry.