A Wealth of Numbers: An Anthology of 500 Years of Popular Mathematics Writing

Description

An anthology that gathers together nearly one hundred selections from the past 500 years of popular math writing. Ranging from the late fifteenth to the late twentieth century, and drawing from books, newspapers, magazines, and websites, it includes recreational, classroom, and work mathematics; mathematical histories and biographies; and, more.

Benjamin Wardhaugh is a postdoctoral research fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford, where he studies and teaches the history of mathematics. He is the author of "How to Read Historical Mathematics" (Princeton).

"One of the pleasures of this book is reading the texts in the language of the day... The collection as a whole provides the general reader with a history of mathematics, biographical and otherwise, through popular writing. Because the writing was aimed at general readers of its time, it is usually accessible to the average mathematical reader of our time. The book would be an excellent reference for teachers of mathematics and for those researching the history of the dissemination of mathematical ideas."--Carol Dorf, American Scientist "[F]or the enthusiast for the history of popular maths writing this is a must-have book."--Brian Clegg, Popular Science "In A Wealth of Numbers, we have the end product of what must have been a lot of challenging research... This book works well for random browsing as well as for sustained reading; purely recreational essays and puzzle problems are well-mixed with more serious topics such as an article explaining Cantor's diagonalization proof and 'Cubic equations for the practical man.' There's something in here for everyone, and it's a great contribution to the mathematics literature to have it all in one place."--Mark Bollman, MAA Reviews "Wardhaugh provides an exciting addition to mathematics anthologies... The physical format is very reader-friendly, with especially good line spacing and margins. The book is valuable for all libraries supporting undergraduate and graduate study, as well as many public libraries. Faculty should consider this as a source of comprehensible readings for aspiring mathematics majors. Individuals interested in math history will want a copy for their personal libraries."--Choice "The Wardhaugh book is a welcome addition to anthologies that have preceded it... Although written for the general reader who is interested in mathematics, the collection is apropos for those who are more mathematically oriented as well... [T]his well-thought-out, eclectic collection will provide hours of enjoyable reading."--Jim Tattersall, CSHPM "Fascinating to browse, a delight to read, and informative... Get this book! It is as much fun to read as it is to share with others, especially students who can gain from doses of past mathematical realities."--Jerry Johnson, Mathematics Teacher