One of the World's Most Influential Math Texts is Getting a Beautiful, Minimalist Edition (theverge.com)

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One of the World's Most Influential Math Texts is Getting a Beautiful, Minimalist Edition (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on Monday September 4, 2017 @05:00AM from the for-modern-audience dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: A couple of years ago, a small publisher called Kroncker Wallis issued a handsome, minimalist take on Isaac Newton's Principia. Now, the publisher is embarking on its next project: Euclid's Elements. The publisher is using Kickstarter to fund this new edition. Euclid's Elements is a mathematical text written by Greek mathematician Euclid around 300 BCE and has been called one of the most influential textbooks ever produced. The treatise contains 13 separate books, covering everything from plane geometry, the Pythagorean theorem, golden ratio, prime numbers, and quite a bit more. The books helped to influence scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Sir Isaac Newton. In 1847, an English mathematician named Oliver Byrne re-wrote the first six books of Euclid's Elements, taking its concepts and illustrating them.

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Is "The C Programming Language" next? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-04 05:07 · Score: 1

Is a minimalist edition of "The C Programming Language" going to be next?
1. Re: Is "The C Programming Language" next? by ganjadude · 2017-09-04 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  if its an actual useful link (not saying this one is or isnt) who cares?
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
2. Re:Is "The C Programming Language" next? by __aaclcg7560 · 2017-09-04 06:00 · Score: 1
  
  checkmate, creimer
  ???
3. Re: Is "The C Programming Language" next? by ganjadude · 2017-09-04 06:10 · Score: 2
  
  i tend not to even look at peoples names here only the comments themselves. if something is useful great! if not, then go on the attack
  
  attacking people for things that have nothing to do with the topic at hand is just tiring in todays world
  
  --
  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
4. Re: Is "The C Programming Language" next? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2017-09-04 09:01 · Score: 1
  
  You enjoy getting "help" from someone who thinks you're an idiot?
  It's true, you'd have to be an idiot to ask for help with improving your reading comprehension on /.. Fortunately most people grasp the notion of context in discourse.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
5. Re:Is "The C Programming Language" next? by __aaclcg7560 · 2017-09-04 09:12 · Score: 1
  
  "sweet tits" is your go-to phrase to defending yourself as an AC.
  I don't think "sweet tits" is defending me, but she is mocking you! Yes, "sweet tits" is a she. ;)
  
  You should use your Slashdot scraper to confirm it!
  My scraper script works on user accounts. It doesn't work for ACs.
News for nerds by nospam007 · 2017-09-04 05:12 · Score: 1

You will be able to buy a new 2300 year old dead tree book.
Soon.
1. Re:News for nerds by Potor · 2017-09-04 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  You consider the papyrus plant to be a tree?
2. Re:News for nerds by jonnythan · 2017-09-04 05:37 · Score: 1
  
  Pretty sure they don't print books on papyrus these days. Who knows what these Kickstarter hipsters are doing, though.
Should be awesome by Potor · 2017-09-04 05:21 · Score: 4, Informative

I have an edition of Byrne's first six books - it is beautiful, and given his approach, quite useful.
Can't wait for somebody to finish his work, esp. the illustrated version of the irrationality of the square root of 2.
Is it time to upgrade ? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-04 05:26 · Score: 1

Taschen did a beautiful edition of Euclid's Elements a couple of years ago based on Byrne's english edition.
The only downside was that the book included only the first 6 books of the Elements.
The paper used was very high quality, the illustrations poped out of the page and Taschen didn't skimp on using nice black ink (among other colors). Even the price was correct.
For 180$ this new edition on kickstarter has to blow the Taschen one out of the water, and I don't think it will be able to do it.
1. Re:Is it time to upgrade ? by Potor · 2017-09-04 05:37 · Score: 2
  
  I agree: Taschen did a great job on Byrne's book. But Taschen did so on a book that was already written, and long out of copyright.
  This new book is yet to be written, and, having done a few books myself priced in this range, I know that this price is not exorbitant.
  Finally, as a corollary to the above, this book does not compete with anything Taschen has done, so it need not blow the earlier work out of the water. It simply needs to be good on its own terms.
2. Re:Is it time to upgrade ? by Hognoxious · 2017-09-04 09:06 · Score: 2
  
  the illustrations poped out of the page
  I don't know vat I can say about that.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
It's not for me... but maybe others like it by admin7087 · 2017-09-04 05:52 · Score: 1

Sorry, the 'web page layout' and orange text just kill it for me. That's a big No-No in typesetting, at least in the one to which I subscribe.
1. Re:It's not for me... but maybe others like it by period3 · 2017-09-04 06:18 · Score: 1
  
  Me too. I like the idea, but hate the aesthetics. This is a very ugly book. Also, I don't want a gigantic textbook. I'm not going to take out a textbook and plop it on my table like a student. I'm done with that.
Okay, I'll bite by DontBeAMoran · 2017-09-04 06:36 · Score: 3, Funny

Euclid's Elements is a mathematical text written by Greek mathematician Euclid around 300 BCE.
What does BCE mean? Is it the Canadian version of BC?
Before Christ, Eh?

--
#DeleteFacebook
1. Re:Okay, I'll bite by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-04 06:46 · Score: 1
  
  The BCE above stands for "Before Current Era".
2. Re:Okay, I'll bite by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-04 06:47 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Political correctness has decreed we not use BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) but BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) for dates.
  I don't know who we don't have to offend anymore. Maybe the Aliens ?
3. Re:Okay, I'll bite by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-04 08:35 · Score: 1
  
  Overly exuberant historians have, in the past, shown a proclivity towards imprecision and imagination in their findings and measurements. "CE" is used simply to indicate that you take the scientific process seriously, while "AD" will be used by those who peddle counterfeit Shrouds of Turin. The terminology is not Politically Correct (TM), quite the contrary. It's inflammatory; deliberately offensive, even. It's a line in the sand declaring that Christian hoodoo has no (further) place in scientific journals.
  Also: I'm not sure if you've been paying attention, but anyone calling our modern era "In the Year of Our Lord" deserves little more than derisive laughter. If there ever was a God he gave up on us by 1250 at the latest.
4. Re:Okay, I'll bite by angel'o'sphere · 2017-09-04 08:37 · Score: 1
  
  BCE means before common age.
  No idea why _americans_ invented that term when we simply can say 'before christ' and 'after christ' like the rest of the world does,
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
5. Re:Okay, I'll bite by angel'o'sphere · 2017-09-04 08:39 · Score: 1
  
  era, mot age.
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
6. Re:Okay, I'll bite by CODiNE · 2017-09-04 10:48 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  It's been the scholarly habit for decades and has nothing to do with Political Correctness, it's simply and incorrect and religiously charged term. It's not even the right year for Jesus' birth.
  
  --
  Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
7. Re:Okay, I'll bite by hey! · 2017-09-04 11:50 · Score: 1
  
  Well, there's political correctness. But there's also uncertainty as to the exact dates for Jesus of Nazareth's life... assuming he existed.
  
  --
  Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
8. Re:Okay, I'll bite by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-04 18:34 · Score: 1
  
  "CE" is used simply to indicate that you take the scientific process seriously, while "AD" will be used by those who peddle counterfeit Shrouds of Turin.
  Bull. The users of "CE" are a smug bunch that haven't noticed the rest of us have moved on. "CE" usage is dead. Even the Discovery Channel has given up on using "CE" as a PC term and gone back to simple BC and AD which have been used for the past 2000 years. Using BCE and CE is about as laughable as using the Gregorian calendar and Julian dates. I'm tired of pandering to that group of pedantic "scholars".
  
  -=-=-
9. Re:Okay, I'll bite by CODiNE · 2017-09-05 04:44 · Score: 1
  
  Getting a large chunk of humanity under a common calendar was a huge historical event, regardless of the reasoning used in selecting the first date. Prior to that there were literally hundreds of local time dating systems which to this day make accurate dating of events before than time extremely difficult.
  
  --
  Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
Re:"Minimalist" by g01d4 · 2017-09-04 06:56 · Score: 1

What makes a book "minimalist" anyway?
My guess would be the amount of text on a page. While your critique is somewhat harsh I would agree with the main point that: "it looks like one of those websites made for tablets printed on paper." The concept reminds me of opera productions set in (typically more modern) eras different than when the libretto was written for. If you're going to go trendy then change the text to suit the presentation, somewhat how Hamilton updated the Chernow text.
Is this really necessary? - already available by crepe-boy · 2017-09-04 07:19 · Score: 1

There are already very nice versions of the text. I have the Green Lion Press version (less than $20 new). If you want absolutely everything, the Dover Books 3 volume set is near-definitive and cheap (and available as eBook). The text has been around for centuries so adding colour doesn't help that much. The publisher's efforts could be better spent on other worthwhile tasks.
1. Re:Is this really necessary? - already available by Hognoxious · 2017-09-04 10:55 · Score: 1
  
  But this one uses Kickstarter, the business equivalent of 3D printing.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
2. Re:Is this really necessary? - already available by tibit · 2017-09-05 06:10 · Score: 1
  
  What they're doing is not available. They will use the graphical notation throughout, and that has thus far been done only for the first 6 books, not all 13.
  
  --
  A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
thanks for the advertisement, Slashdot by kwoff · 2017-09-04 09:58 · Score: 1

$subject
Why the boot licking? by volodymyrbiryuk · 2017-09-05 00:14 · Score: 1

"My Principia arrived today. It’s beautiful, thank you so much. I only wish now that I ordered two of them." What for? One for reading while taking a shit and the other one to wipe his ass?

--
sudo rm -r -f --no-preserve-root /
Re:It's due to religious Jews by jbengt · 2017-09-05 01:49 · Score: 1

Can you blame them?
Re:Too expensive by tibit · 2017-09-05 06:11 · Score: 1

This is not a reprint, nor even a re-layout. The work involves re-notation of books 7-13, and re-drawing of diagrammatic notation in books 1-6. It's a lot of work, it'll be a completely new, unique edition not merely in its aesthetics.

--
A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
scholary habit? by Ignatius · 2017-09-06 17:08 · Score: 1

Theres a similar issue in German: v.Chr. (vor Christus = BC) and n.Chr. (nach Christus = AD). However, the only "scholars" who used v.u.Z. and n.u.Z. (vor / nach unserer Zeitrechnung) were the communists in the former GDR.