Die Geometrie und die Geometer vor Euklides

Abstract

UNTIL the appearance of this book, Montucla's celebrated “History of Mathematics” contained almost all that was known about the early history of Mathematics up to the present time. Later historians, even the careful Chasles, have almost exclusively copied him, without taking the trouble of searching the Greek writings for themselves. Montucla's remarks, however, are not only meagre, they are even not always correct. For this reason Prof. Bretschneider has collected all important passages in Greek writings which refer to the state of Geometry in Greece in the time before Euclid. This author is the first of whom complete works have reached us; with him, therefore, a History of Geometry begins. With regard to the ante-Euclidian times we cannot advance beyond conjectures, and these will always depend more or less upon the individuality of the historian. Perfectly aware of this, Prof. Bretschneider gives in the little volume before us, of about 180 pages, not merely his conclusions, but he adds the whole material which he has collected. Instead of simply referring to an author, he quotes in extenso the original Greek text, and adds translations. Thus every reader is at once enabled to form his own opinion, which, we feel assured, will in most cases agree with that of our author.

Die Geometrie und die Geometer vor Euklides.

Von Prof. C. A. Bretschneider. (Leipzig: B. G. Teubner, 1870. London: Williams and Norgate.)