The Norton History of the Mathematical Sciences

by Ivor Grattan-Guinness and Ivan Grattan-Guinness

From zero to infinity, mathematics has always been more about thoughts than thinkers. Professor Ivor Grattan-Guinness has chosen to focus on concepts, rather than the geniuses who first articulated... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393046508
• ISBN13: 9780393046502
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 832 Pages
• Weight: 2.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A superbly written, coherent history of the queen of sciences

As America becomes increasingly and ever more disturbingly innumerate, with perhaps no more than 1-2% (if that much) of the population conversant in basic mathematics through trigonometry, one way of creating a portal through which mathphobic individuals might ease into serious study of the queen of the sciences is reading a well written history. Mathematics is the language in which the universe's laws are written, so it is hardly possible to overstate the subject's importance. Yet we live in an era when the authors of science books are instructed not to include a single equation because a publishing law has it that every equation reduces sales by 50% (thus 2 equations reduce sales by 75%). Some of the densest, most abstruse physics books I've ever read were made nearly incomprehensible by the lack of a single clarifying equation. In a traditionally anti-intellectual society such as America, where reading is frowned upon as geekish and in some quarters of the nation as anti-American, we are at a double disadvantage. This Norton History of the Mathematical Sciences is beautifully written, never sacrificing clarity while confronting some of the most abstract branches of mathematics head-on. Beginning with the nearly invisible origins of the subject in the dim mists of time as a central part of thought itself, we are led into a labyrinth of conjecture emerging into the ancient world and the well documented mathematical innovations of Babylon, Egypt and Greece. The great Arabic contribution, and their transmittance of lost ancient knowledge through Spain during the magnificent Iberian Renaissance, eventually results in the birth of modern mathematics beginning in Renaissance Italy, France, Germany and England. From there, this history begins to focus on the individuals whose names, though sometimes obscure, are known and whose contributions cause an explosive growth in the subject beginning in the 16th Century. New avenues of thought are discovered and old problems solved. The invention of the Calculus by Leibniz and Newton is a prime example of those two paths of intellectual endeavor. The following roll call of names reads like an all-star team of mathematical greatness and innovation: Euler, Bernoulli, Lagrange, Laplace, Gauss, Cauchy, Fourier, Abel, Galois, Riemann, Cayley, Weierstrass, Dirichlet, Lie, Hilbert, Poincare, Hardy. All of them, and many others, are responsible for the magnificent avenues of abstract thought that constitute modern mathematics. Grattan-Guinness does a masterful job in explaining the growth in knowledge, never dumbing down, always clear and succinct, not afraid to include some mathematical terms if the subject demands it. This book is part of what was originally meant as a multi-volume Norton history of science. Previous volumes include a superb history of astronomy and cosmology and one of chemistry. Unfortunately, those two have fallen out of print and are well worth tracking down. The present History of Mathemati

A Must-Read for Mathematicians, Scientists, and Engineers

This magnificent work covers mathematics from its recorded beginnings to the end of World War I. It provides remarkable insight into the development of the various branches of mathematics, and into the connections between mathematical and scientific ideas. Readers will find a wealth of interesting and useful information, including a superb bibliography. Highly recommended!

A Magnificent Account of the History of Mathematics

This milestone in the history of mathematics-history covers mathematics from its recorded beginnings to the end of World War I. It is a synthesis of remarkable historical and mathematical scope. Professor Grattan-Guinness has established a new paradigm of excellence in the field of mathematics-history.

A Brilliant Rainbow

This much-needed book provides valuable insights into the history of the mathematical sciences. Readers will find a wealth of interesting and useful information, including an excellent bibliography. Highly recommended!