Oliver Byrne’s Elements of Euclid

First published in 1847, Oliver Byrne’s ‘Elements of Euclid’ is an innovative educational masterpiece. Uniquely beautiful in its presentation, Byrne’s edition was the first attempt to illustrate the classic books of mathematical theorems written by the ancient Greek mathematician, Euclid of Alexandria, in 300BC. Scattered across each page in brilliant reds, blues, and yellows are triangles, squares and circles combined in a myriad of combinations with intersecting lines and numbers. These intricate figures express the proofs of many of the iconic geometric equations that form the bedrock of mathematical study.