VI 
PREFACE 
it is arguable that, if one would understand the Greek genius 
fully, it would be a good plan to begin with their geometry. 
The story of Greek mathematics has been written before. 
Dr. James Gow did a great service by the publication in 1884 
of his Short History of Greek Mathematics, a scholarly and 
useful work which has held its own and has been quoted with 
respect and appreciation by authorities on the history of 
mathematics in all parts of the world. At the date when he 
wrote, however, Dr. Gow had necessarily to rely upon the 
works of the pioneers Bretschneider, Hankel, Allman, and 
Moritz Cantor (first edition). Since then the subject has been 
very greatly advanced; new texts have been published, im 
portant new documents have been discovered, and researches 
by scholars and mathematicians in different countries have 
thrown light on many obscure points. It is, therefore, high 
time for the complete story to be rewritten. 
It is true that in recent years a number of attractive 
histories of mathematics have been published in England and 
America, but these have only dealt with Greek mathematics 
as part of the larger subject, and in consequence the writers 
have been precluded, by considerations of space alone, from 
presenting the work of the Greeks in sufficient detail. 
The same remark applies to the German histories of mathe 
matics, even to the great work of Moritz Cantor, who treats 
of the history of Greek mathematics in about 400 pages of 
vol. i. While no one would wish to disparage so great a 
monument of indefatigable research, it was inevitable that 
a book on such a scale would in time prove to be inadequate, 
and to need correction in details; and the later editions have 
unfortunately failed to take sufficient account of the new 
materials which have become available since the first edition 
saw the light. 
The best history of Greek mathematics which exists at 
present is undoubtedly that of Gino Loria under the title 
Le scieme esatte nelV antica Grecia (second edition 1914, 
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