PACE, Antonio. Scorta de mercanti overo pratica d'aritmetica.
Verona, Angelo Tamo, 1628
An extremely rare first edition. An important work by the Veronese mathematician, intended to teach every merchant to ‘acquire a perfect understanding of how to solve any commercial calculation’. Riccardi: ‘Rare’. The work is cited in Charles Sanders Peirce’s Nuovi elementi di matematica as ‘completely unknown to historians’. The architectural frontispiece, which bears the coat of arms of the dedicatee within a cartouche, is engraved on copper by Gironimo Viscardi.
Riccardi, P-225; Charles S. Peirce, The New Elements of Mathematics, vol. 1, L'Aia, Mouton Publishers, 1976, p. 223. Cfr. Giuseppe Cerboni, Sur l'importance d'unifier les études de la comptabilité, Roma, Imprimerie héritiers Botta, 1887, p. 131.
Large 8vo. 217x157 mm. Bound in a contemporary full cardboard binding, with the title handwritten on the spine. Pages [12], 213, [3]. Dated by the dedicatory letter on leaf a2v. Architectural title page engraved on copper. Italic and Roman type, woodcut initials and decorations. Initials ‘GF’ handwritten in sepia ink on the lower margin of the title page. Slight signs of wear, woodworm damage on the lower margin of some pages.