Strange Wilderness: The Lives of the Great Mathematicians

Title: Strange Wilderness: The Lives of the Great Mathematicians
Author: Amir D Aczel
Science & Math: 1703398
ISBN: 9781402785849
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Published: 2011
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Edition: First Edition
Number of Pages: 304
Section: Mathematics | History & Philosophy
Condition Note: Excellent, unmarked copy with little wear and tight binding. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.
Publisher Description: "Mathematics is not a careful march down a well-cleared highway, but a journey into a strange wilderness, where the explorers often get lost."
-- Mathematics historian W. S. Anglin From the internationally bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem comes a landmark publication on the eccentric lives of the foremost mathematicians in history..From Archimedes' eureka moment to Alexander Grothendieck's seclusion in the Pyrenees, bestselling author Amir Aczel selects the most compelling stories in the history of mathematics, creating a colorful narrative that explores the quirky personalities behind some of the most groundbreaking, enduring theorems.

This is not your dry "college textbook" account of mathematical history; it bristles with tales of duels, battlefield heroism, flamboyant arrogance, pranks, secret societies, imprisonment, feuds, theft, and some very costly errors of judgment. (Clearly, genius doesn't guarantee street smarts.) Ultimately, readers will come away entertained, and with a newfound appreciation of the tenacity, complexity, eccentricity, and brilliance of the mathematical genius.