3 ms·

Is it just my phone or are all the "s"s and "f"s accidently mathematical notation on the first book.

adhdbrain 3y ago
You can change this by switching to Modern English in the navbar.
scentoni 3y ago
There used to be two forms of letter s, long s when medial and short s when final, similar to the two forms of sigma in later Greek. The integral sign derived from this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s
- gota 3y ago
  Ok, but why choose the outdated one for this? Or is it a mistake?
  - itishappy 3y ago
    It's an old book: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Title_page_of_Sir_Henry_Billingsley%27s_first_English_version_of_Euclid%27s_Elements%2C_1570_%28560x900%29.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Title_pa...
    - gota 3y ago
      I know it's an old book. I have several copies in multiple languages a couple of meters from where I'm sitting. None of them have colored designs or interactive elements, so I really struggle to understand your point
      - steppi 3y ago
        Oliver Byrne’s 1847 edition of the elements did have colored designs [0]. This website features a digitization of Byrne’s book and defaults to the text as it appears in the original. [0] https://maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-treasures-oliver-byrnes-euclid https://maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-t...
      - itishappy 3y ago
        > None of them have colored designs or interactive elements Euclid didn't include interactivity? Seems like a bit of an oversight. Anyway, that wasn't the question. Check out the S's on that cover.
  - aragonite 3y ago
    It's a reproduction of Oliver Byrne's 1847 edition, which uses the long s. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:First_six_books_of_the_elements_of_Euclid_1847_Byrne.djvu&page=82 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:First_six_bo...
    - gota 3y ago
      Seems like a weird choice to make it colored, interactive etc. - presumably to maximize accessibility/digestibility by laymen - and then adopt an outdated typography choice for coherence with a 180 year old edition
      - itishappy 3y ago
        The colors and the weird s were both from the 180 year old version. The interactivity is new. Here's the author's thoughts: > Creating a faithful online reproduction of a book considered one of the most beautiful and unusual publications ever published is a daunting task. Byrne’s Euclid is my tribute to Oliver Byrne’s most celebrated publication from 1847 that illustrated the geometric principles established in Euclid’s original Elements from 300 BC. > The long s (ſ) was common in older publications and is used throughout the book. Even though it’s commonly mistaken for the lowercase f, I felt reproducing it was also important to stay true to the original. > I wanted to add interactivity to the diagrams to aid in understanding them because I had some trouble understanding some in the original book. Here's lots more thoughts: https://www.c82.net/blog/?id=79 https://www.c82.net/blog/?id=79
dexwiz 3y ago
I have this book in print and that is my main complaint. It explains the typographical history and I get it…but it still makes it harder to read than necessary.

You can change this by switching to Modern English in the navbar.

There used to be two forms of letter s, long s when medial and short s when final, similar to the two forms of sigma in later Greek. The integral sign derived from this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s

gota 3y ago
Ok, but why choose the outdated one for this? Or is it a mistake?
- itishappy 3y ago
  It's an old book: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Title_page_of_Sir_Henry_Billingsley%27s_first_English_version_of_Euclid%27s_Elements%2C_1570_%28560x900%29.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Title_pa...
  - gota 3y ago
    I know it's an old book. I have several copies in multiple languages a couple of meters from where I'm sitting. None of them have colored designs or interactive elements, so I really struggle to understand your point
    - steppi 3y ago
      Oliver Byrne’s 1847 edition of the elements did have colored designs [0]. This website features a digitization of Byrne’s book and defaults to the text as it appears in the original. [0] https://maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-treasures-oliver-byrnes-euclid https://maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/mathematical-t...
    - itishappy 3y ago
      > None of them have colored designs or interactive elements Euclid didn't include interactivity? Seems like a bit of an oversight. Anyway, that wasn't the question. Check out the S's on that cover.
- aragonite 3y ago
  It's a reproduction of Oliver Byrne's 1847 edition, which uses the long s. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:First_six_books_of_the_elements_of_Euclid_1847_Byrne.djvu&page=82 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:First_six_bo...
  - gota 3y ago
    Seems like a weird choice to make it colored, interactive etc. - presumably to maximize accessibility/digestibility by laymen - and then adopt an outdated typography choice for coherence with a 180 year old edition
    - itishappy 3y ago
      The colors and the weird s were both from the 180 year old version. The interactivity is new. Here's the author's thoughts: > Creating a faithful online reproduction of a book considered one of the most beautiful and unusual publications ever published is a daunting task. Byrne’s Euclid is my tribute to Oliver Byrne’s most celebrated publication from 1847 that illustrated the geometric principles established in Euclid’s original Elements from 300 BC. > The long s (ſ) was common in older publications and is used throughout the book. Even though it’s commonly mistaken for the lowercase f, I felt reproducing it was also important to stay true to the original. > I wanted to add interactivity to the diagrams to aid in understanding them because I had some trouble understanding some in the original book. Here's lots more thoughts: https://www.c82.net/blog/?id=79 https://www.c82.net/blog/?id=79

dexwiz 3y ago

I have this book in print and that is my main complaint. It explains the typographical history and I get it…but it still makes it harder to read than necessary.