Cardano, Girolamo (1501-1576)
Artis Magnae sive De Regulis Algebraicis. [Nuremberg: Joh. Petreium, 1545.]First edition, small folio, woodcut artist portrait to title page; lacking final blank; illustrated with woodcut text diagrams, a copy rather heavily used, with damage to title page and indications in the form of pencil inscriptions and one stamp that this volume belonged to a math department circa 1940; parchment covers rebacked with fabric tape, a good candidate for proper restoration; ink spotting and other blemishes to contents; 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.Cardanus's The Great Art is concerned with algebra and considered one of the three greatest scientific contributions written during the European Renaissance. This particular contribution includes the first published solutions to cubic and quartic equations, and first appearances of complex numbers, multiple roots, and a deeper exploration of negative numbers.Adams C-651.