- Details
- Category: bookreviews bookreviews
- Published: 14 October 2014 14 October 2014
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Author: William Dunham Rating: 10/10
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When it comes to the history of mathematics, there is perhaps no more gifted author than William Dunham.
Besides performing the role of a knowledgeable guide through the history of math, the author rewards us with a very engaging and entertaining writing style. His passion for the subject is obvious, and so is his admiration for the people and histories he presents in these pages. This book is very well organized. It starts with Greek mathematics, a time where most proofs were done in geometric rather than algebraic notation. After an impressive presentation of the work of the likes of Euclid and Archimedes, William Dunham brings us to the Renaissance period and the fascinating works of Bernoulli, Newton, Euler and others. I really appreciated how, besides presenting each theorem in itself, the author added an "Epilogue" section for each chapter explaining what other developments derived from this theorem in later years. The book ends with the more abstract, but nonetheless fascinating work of Georg Cantor with his Set Theory. This book is a must read for anyone who appreciates the beauty in Mathematics. Highly recommended.
