The Latin edition of the Mathematicae Collectiones was published in print in 1588, thirteen years after Federico Commandino’s demise. For his Latin version of Pappus’s work, Comandino used two Greek codices, formerly identified by Treweek. In this article, another Greek manuscript, revised and annotated by Commandino, is revealed. Two letters from Commandino to Ettore Ausonio shed new light on the edition of Pappus’s Collectio and show the partnership between the two mathematicians in elaborating supplementary proofs to include in the comments. (...) Using these letters, we can date the first draft of the Latin version in the late 1560s. The posthumous edition of the Mathematicae Collectiones involved Commandino’s disciples and, in particular, Guidobaldo del Monte. The comparison between the manuscripts and the printed edition reveals an important role played by the disciple in revising the Latin translation of his master. (shrink)

Aristarchus’s De magnitudinis et distantiis solis et lunae was translated into Latin and printed by Federico Commandino in 1572. All subsequent editions of Aristarchus’ treatise, published by John Wallis (1688), Fortia d’ Urban (1823) and Thomas Heath (1913), followed Commandino’s work. In this article, through a philological approach to the geometric diagrams, I tracked down one of the Greek sources used by Commandino for preparing his Latin version. Commandino pays particular attention to drawing figures. This article sheds light on the (...) interaction between mathematical skills and the drawing of geometric diagrams implemented in his Latin edition of Aristarchus’ book. (shrink)

Federico Commandino’s Latin editions of the mathematical works written by the ancient Greeks constituted an essential reference for the scientific research undertaken by the moderns. In his Latin editions, Commandino cleverly combined his philological and mathematical skills. Philology and mathematics, moreover, nurtured each other. In this article, I analyze the Greek and Latin manuscripts and the printed edition of Apollonius’ Conics to highlight in a specific case study the role of the editions of the classics in the renaissance of modern (...) mathematics. (shrink)

During the Renaissance, several scholars worked to revive the contents and methods developed by the ancient Greek mathematicians. They began their research by studying the Latin editions of the Greek classics. The problem of Apollonius is a significant case study that sheds light on the recovery and re-appropriation of the solution methods employed by Greek mathematics. In this article, I will explore both the manuscript sources and the printed editions used by the Urbino School (Federico Commandino and Guidobaldo del Monte) (...) to solve the problem of Apollonius. (shrink)