Thomas Heath (classicist)
Sir Thomas Little Heath Barnetby-le-Wold, North Lincolnshire, England | |
---|---|
Died | 16 March 1940 | (aged 78)
Education | Clifton College |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Occupations | |
Notable work | below) |
Spouse | Ada Mary Thomas |
Children | Geoffrey Thomas Heath Veronica Mary Heath |
Parent(s) | Samuel Heath Mary Little |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Fellow of the Royal Society |
Notes | |
Sir Thomas Little Heath
Life
Heath was born in
He had married professional musician Ada Mary Thomas in 1914;[4] they had a son, Geoffrey Thomas Heath, and a daughter, Veronica Mary Heath. Heath's son Geoffrey went to Trinity College, Cambridge, before becoming a teacher at Ampleforth College, and had 6 children.
Heath died in Ashtead, Surrey, on 16 March 1940.[4]
Work
Heath was distinguished for his work in Greek mathematics and was author of several books on Greek mathematicians. It is primarily through Heath's translations that modern English-speaking readers are aware of what Archimedes did. His translation of the celebrated Archimedes Palimpsest, however, was based on a transcription that had lacunae, which scholars such as Reviel Netz have been able to fill in to a certain extent, by exploiting scientific methods of imagery not available in Heath's time.
When Heath's Works of Archimedes was published in 1897, the Archimedes Palimpsest had not been extensively explored. Its significance was not recognised until 1906, when it was examined by Danish professor
Translations and other works
Note: Only first editions are listed; many of these titles have been reprinted several times.
- Diophantus of Alexandria: a Study in the History of Greek Algebra (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1885)
- Apollonius of Perga: Treatise on Conic Sections (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1896)
- Archimedes: Works (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1897)
- The thirteen books of Euclid's Elements (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1908)[8]
- Aristarchus of Samos, the Ancient Copernicus Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913)
- Euclid in Greek, Book I, With Introduction and Notes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1920)
- A History of Greek Mathematics, in two volumes (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1921)[9]
- A Manual of Greek Mathematics (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1931)
- Greek Astronomy (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1932)
- Mathematics in Aristotle (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949)
Notes
- ISBN 978-1-888009-18-7.
- ^ O'Connor, J.J. "Thomas Little Heath". MacTutor Archives. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. p 58: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948
- ^ a b c d "Thomas Heath - Biography". Maths History. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-888009-19-4.
- ISBN 978-1-888009-19-4.
- ^ "Thomas Little Heath". Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- .
- .
Further reading
- Wardhaugh, Benjamin (2016). "Greek Mathematics in English: The Work of Sir Thomas L. Heath (1861–1940)". Historiography of Mathematics in the 19th and 20th Centuries: 109–122. .
- "About the translator: Thomas L. Heath" in Euclid's Elements: all thirteen books complete in one volume (2002) Green Lion Press. ISBN 978-1-888009-19-4
- J.A. Smith, Review of A History of Greek Mathematics, The Classical Review, 37, no. 34 (May – June 1923), 69–71
External links
- Online texts of Heath's books
- Works by Thomas Little Heath at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Thomas Heath at Internet Archive
- A History of Greek Mathematics: vol. 1, vol. 2
- The Works of Archimedes
- Diophantus Of Alexandria: A Study In The History Of Greek Algebra
- The Thirteen Books of Euclid's Elements: vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3
- The Thirteen Books of Euclid's Elements - Second Edition Revised with Additions: Vol. 1-3
- PDF files of many of Heath's works, including those on Diophantus, Apollonius, etc.
- Excerpts from MacTutor
- Heath: Everyman's Library Euclid Introduction
- Heath: The thirteen books of Euclid's elements Preface
- Heath: Mathematics in Aristotle Preface
- About T.L. Heath
- O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Thomas Little Heath", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
- Obituary by D'Arcy W. Thompson