8vo.[15.2 x 10.3 cm.],
[Issued with] De stel-konstige boecken Diophanti Alexandrini, nu eerst in onze Neêr-duitze taal vert, ... Dordrecht, Jac. Braat, 1654.
Bound in contemporary vellum with some spots, and rubbing on corners. (12), 158, (1), 70. As usual (?), with Huips’ handwritten signature on titlepage instead of printed name. Very occasional, faded waterstaining and spotting.

First Dutch edition (first Latin 1575) of the computational arithmetic treatise by Diophantus (fl. A.D. 250): “the greatest Greek writer on Algebra...(&) one of the greatest algebraists of all times.”—Sarton, I.336. The work constitutes the second vulgate appearance of any part of this Alexandrian mathematician’s work, whose re-discovery and dissemination were essential for the history of modern algebra, especially in Holland. The present work treats systems of determinate and indeterminate linear, quadratic and cubic equations. Huips advertises his text as “a necessary, short and clear” introduction to the subject, with a number of new rules. The volume is practical rather than theoretical in nature, and although it is organized differently (in three sections and the appendix rather than six books), like Diophantus, Huips provides numerous sets of problems and their solutions to illustrate the concepts he discusses.

“Diophantus introduced symbolism into algebra, dealt with powers as high as six (in contrast to classical Greek mathematicians, who did not consider powers higher than three), and delved extensively into the solution to indeterminate equations, founding the branch of algebra now known as Diophantin analysis.”—Norman Library. Simon Stevin (who translated Diophantus’ first four books into French) and François Viète (who is credited with being the first to use letters as variable coefficients) were both influenced by Diophantus. Huips does not refer explicitly to Stevin, but it has been asserted that he based his work on the 1585 Stevin translation. Windels, p 6.

The first edition appeared in Latin in 1575 (Xylander, Basel 1575), and in Latin and Greek in 1621 (Bachet de Méziriac). Stevin’s French translation of the first four books appeared in 1585; the DSB does not mention any other vernacular editions earlier than the present Dutch (1654). Huips’ translation was issued with two separate imprints and title pages. The first part is an exceptionally rare imprint from the town of Heusden Huips organizes his text differently than Diophantus, and his title page refers to his source as containing 11 parts (onze Neer duitze Taal) rather than six. The first volume of Huips’ version includes three parts, and calls for an appendix, which appears as the second volume.

Whether intentionally or not, and it was most likely intentional, the name of the translator was omitted from the printing of the first part, and he accordingly signs it in his own hand. For want of another copy, we have been unable to determine whether this is standard practice, but most likely it was.

OCLC: No U.S. copy. Chicago and Michigan have the 2nd edition of 1661.

* Bierens de Haan 2190 & 2192; DSB; Norman Library of Science & Medicine (641, 1575); Sarton; Windels, pi: wiskunde en klassieke talen, 2004.

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