Opera mathematica: in unum volume congesta ac recognita

(Mathematical works: congested and revised in one volume)

Francois Viete, French (1540-1603)

Lvgdvni Batavorvm : ex officinâ Bonaventuræ & Abrahami Elzeviriorum, 1646

Francois Viete was a French lawyer, tutor, and amateur mathematician. Not a scientist by profession, Viete used his free time to study mathematics and increase the utility of the discipline by implementing new notations, many of which we still use today. Additionally, as a non-academic, Viete was well-poised to create mathematical texts that were useful for the everyday person. One of the ways he did this can be seen in this book where he includes rotating dials for the reader to practice the concepts in the text.