Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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117 of 125 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CAUTION, February 9, 2000
This is a word of warning to potential purchasers of this volume; it is only one of three volumes. This is not made clear in the presentation so just be aware. Look for the other two volumes if your intent is to acquire all thirteen books of Euclid's, The Elements.
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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive English language review of _Elements I and II_, May 18, 1999
By A Customer
At the time of this writing, the sales summary points out "Vol. 1", but it does not point out that it is "Volume 1 of 3". Volume 1 provides a historical summary of work that followed _Elements_, along with a detailed translation of Book I and Book II. Heath includes bracketed references to justify each critical step of each proof. The text surrounding each Euclidean statement is detailed, but often very lengthy; at times, this detracts from the reading of the _Elements_ itself. This set is for the scholar of the history of _Elements_, and not the best source for a first-time reading of Euclid. Even with these minor quibbles, however, my copy of Volume I is a well-worn, beloved volume with frequently-annotated margins. All of the major "players" in the development of Geometry are detailed within, as well as their contributions.I recommend it highly for any scholar that wishes to understand _Elements_ thoroughly, through a close reading of a detailed text.
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53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Euclid Alone Has Looked on Beauty Bare, August 5, 2001
I have taught high school geometry for nearly ten years now. It is a subject of which I am very fond. And yet, even though we call the subject Euclidean geometry, very few people, even those of us who teach it, have a clear idea of what exactly it was that Euclid did. We might use the compass and straightedge occasionally but not with Euclid's methodology. I think that this is too bad.Over the course of the past year or so, I have made it a quest to prove the propositions of The Elements in Euclid's style. Thus far (and at a leisurely pace), I have made it through the first two books outlined in this volume. It has been a wonderful experience that has deepened my knowledge of this subject and, hopefully, has made me a better teacher of it to my students. I am looking forward to going through the remaining eleven books of the last two volumes. Some things of which a reader should be aware: this volume only contains Euclid's first two books which, in and of themselves, are not very long; however, this volume also contains 150 pages of introduction and significant commentary on nearly every definition, postulate and proposition by Sir Thomas L. Heath. I found much of this very enlightening and was glad to have it included. Still, this material could easily be a stumbling block for weaker students and people interested in Euclid alone. Heath's notes are very detailed and assume a knowledge of certain things (such as classical languages) that are not a common part of the modern curriculum. But, remember, this commentary was written nearly 100 years ago. Don't let it stand in your way. It can be a bonus but, if you have trouble connecting with it, skip it. The notes and commentary should be considered gravy for the prime component here: Euclid's text. There has never been a writer of mathematics as successful as Euclid. For well over 2000 years the work that Euclid did in compiling The Elements has been the crowning achievement of geometry and it has only been in the twentieth century that his book has been replaced by other texts. There are good reasons for this but, on another level, it is sad that his genius is being diluted. Anyone with a decent handle on high school geometry could get a lot from Euclid himself. The propositions would be familiar and anyone truly interested in understanding how mathematics has become the powerful tool it is today would be remiss in not reading Euclid.
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