B chapter.indd - Charles Babbage Institute - University of Minnesota

Erwin Tomash Library
Borrel, Jean Böschenstein, Johann
B 210
Borough, who was a comptroller of the British Navy,
began his naval career, aged 16, by sailing to Russia in
1553. He continued in maritime trade for the next ten
years and spent most of his life connected either with
trade or the Navy.
This work on the variation of the compass was not in the
1581 first edition of Norman. It was added in the 1585
second edition. Borough edited later editions of this
work, including this one, and added additional material
of interest to navigators, such as a table of star positions.
Some book dealers have claimed that this editing did not
begin until the fourth edition in 1596, but that is likely
in error - see entry for Norman, 1592, where it is clearly
stated on the title page that it has been Newly corrected
and amended by M.W.B.
The original work by Norman (1592) was dedicated to
Borough.
The date has been incorrectly printed as 1562 on the title
page.
Illustrations available:
Borough’s title page
Illustration of an instrument for noting variation in the compass
Borrel, Jean (ca.1492–ca.1564/1572)
See Buteo, Johannes; De quadratura circoli libri duo,
ubi multorum quadraturæ confutantur, 1559
B 211
Böschenstein, Johann (1472–1540)
Ain New geordnet Rechen biechlin mit den zyffern den
angenden schülern zu nutz. Inhaltêt die Siben species
Algorithmi mit sampt der Regel de Try. Und sechs
regeln d[er] prüch. Un[d] der regel susti mit vil andern
güten fragen den kündern zum anfang nützbarlich …
Year: 1514
Place: Augsburg
Publisher: Erhart Oeglin
Edition: 1st
Language: German
Figures: woodcut on title page
Binding: later dark blue morocco; raised bands
Pagination: ff. [24]
Collation: A 6 B 4 C 6 D–E 4
Size: 199x142 mm
Reference: Smi Rara, p. 100
Böschenstein was a professor of Hebrew at Ingolstadt
and Heidelberg and also taught for a time at Antwerp
and Nürnberg. He is chiefly remembered for the fact that
both Luther and Melanchthon were his students.
It is interesting that in the same year that Köbel published
his arithmetic (Ain new geordnet rechen biechlin)
devoted to teaching the subject only by use of the table
abacus, Böschenstein should publish this similar work,
which is completely oriented toward the use of algorism.
Even the two title pages have a strong similarity—both
with woodcuts, one showing the abacus and the other
algorism on a slate. Smith (Rara) describes this work
as … mercantile in character and presents in condensed
form the essentials of business arithmetic. Böschenstein
first starts with consideration of the seven basic operations
(numeration, addition, subtraction, mediation, duplation,
multiplication and division) and includes illustrations
involving fractions as well as integers. He then continues
with examples of the rule of three, etc.
Illustrations available:
Title page
Division with fractions
Colophon
Compas variation instrument, B 210
179