Exceptionally rare first and only edition of a Dutch mathematical work by the versatile Johann Hermann Knoop (1700-1796). The work, which was specifically written for students, focusses exclusively on arithmetic, because that is the basis for all branches of mathematics, as Knoop writes in the introduction. The work is very rare. According to WorldCat, there are only two copies available in libraries worldwide, of which only one is complete (the other lacks the second part). We have also been unable to trace it in any sales records of the past hundred years.
The work is divided in two parts. The first discusses general arithmetic, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It starts with the basics, then gradually gets more complex towards the end, as factorisation is introduced. The second part is meant for advanced students. It discusses the extraction of roots, taking logarithms, and the basics of geometry. Some of the concepts from the text are further illustrated on the folding plate in the back.
Knoop was curator of the gardens of Princess Maria Louisa of Hesse-Kassel (1688-1765) in Leeuwarden, and teacher in mathematics in the same city. He was a learned man who wrote a number of excellent works on horticulture, for which he is the most well-known. However, he also wrote works on geography, Frisian topography, as well as a number of schoolbooks on various subjects. He was a great promotor of the growing of potatoes in Friesland, and the first to bring the potato to the table of Princess Maria Louise, in December 1742.
The edges and corners of the boards are scuffed, with loss of material of the sprinkled paper, the leather on the spine is cracked, affecting the title-label. The work is somewhat browned throughout, with a water stain at the head of the first 114 pages. Otherwise in good condition. STCN 305532367 (1 copy, incomplete); WorldCat 68981854 (2 copies, incl. 1 incomplete).