illinoisrbml: Oliver Byrne was an Irish mathematician and...

Oliver Byrne was an Irish mathematician and engineer in Victorian England. He is most famous for his colorful versions of Euclid’s elements of geometry, which were published in 1847 by William Pickering. The book was one of several British books displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Byrne’s intention in creating the book was to use as little written language as possible and instead focus on creating visual representations of Euclid’s theories. It was one of the earliest books printed in the Victorian era with multiple colored inks.

This book is currently on display in our pop-up exhibit cases as part of Historic Data Visualization. Read more about the exhibit on our blog or stop by the Rare Book and Manuscript Library to see it in person!

Byrne, Oliver. The first six books of the elements of Euclid, in which coloured diagrams and symbols are used instead of letters for the greater ease of learners. London: William Pickering, 1847. 516.2 Eu2by.