The Story of Mathematics

by IanStewart (Foreword), RichardMankiewicz (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $12.03

  The mysterious tally sticks of prehistoric peoples and the terrestrial maps used for trade, exploration, and warfare; the perennial fascination with the motions of heavenly bodies and changed perspectives on the art and science of vision: all are testament to a mathematics at the heart of history. This visually stunning volume takes the reader on an illustrated tour of mathematics across cultures and civilizations, bringing to life a world of important ideas and - rarely supposed - great intrigue and charm. The development of mathematics can be seen in a wealth of images, from the richly illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages to the deeply unsettling art of Dali and Duchamp, from the austere beauty of Babylonian clay tablets to the delicate complexity of computer-generated pictures.These images, and many others, are lavishly reproduced to accompany a text that travels from the dawn of Chinese and Indian civilizations to the scientific and digital revolutions of our day. Including portraits of household names such as Kepler and Copernicus as well as lesser-known but equally compelling figures like Niels Henrik Abel and Leonhard Euler, The Story of Mathematics is a rich amalgam of history, biography, and popular science. Readers will come away understanding how and why mathematics evolved as it did - of how it entered and remained close to the center of every area of human activity. Explaining mathematical concepts without equations, Richard Mankiewicz enables us to appreciate this essential intellectual occupation without 'doing the math'.

• Used

  Paperback
  2001

  $3.35

  Mathematics is not only a discipline integral to humankind's desire to navigate and to trade, it is also an artistic inspiration and a guide to the movement of the heavens. This book takes us on a journey through mathematical ideas across the centuries and across different cultures, from Babylonian clay tablets to computer images of complexity; from Renaissance perspective to game theory. Written as a compelling narrative and accompanied by sumptuous images from illuminated manuscripts to Modern art, this is a beautiful and inspirational book that sheds light on a world rarely supposed to possess such importance, intrigue and charm.