In the original dustsheet. Binding the same as the dustsheet.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

The Story of Mathematics traces humankind’s greatest achievements, plotting a journey from innumerate cave-dwellers, through the towering mathematical intellects of the past 4,000 years, to where we stand today.

Reviews:

• This is a very easy-to-read and well-illustrated overview of the history of some aspects of maths. I would like to have seen more depth, and more coverage of more complex mathematical topics, but that would no doubt have made the book unsuitable for its target readership.

• The Story of Mathematics by Anne Rooney. This book is full of interesting facts on the history of mathematics such as where our symbols + , – , = and originated from. There are also details of mathematics of the 20th Century such as fractals and fuzzy logic. In places the book is fascinating reading such as `Pascal’s Triangle is called Khayyam’s Triangle in Iran.’ A student doing mathematics would find this book intriguing and learn some entertaining facts about the history of the subject. The author has made good use of colour in diagrams but the diagrams are not referenced. There is also no caption for tables. The layout of some details is rather peculiar. For example page 27 of the book claims that minus sign was first used by Johannes Widmann but does not mention who Widmann is until page 130. In general the book is full of interesting facts but does lack detail in places. I think it would have been a better book with fewer facts but more details and mathematics about some of these facts. I personally do not like the text layout in two columns per page. It just doesn’t flow as well as a traditional one column per page book. Additionally it is confusing in places with various diagrams and boxed information on the same page. However I can see the advantage of being a portable book of 208 pages, something that you can fit into your pocket. Font size of the comprehensive index is rather small with three columns to the page. Even with these reservations I would recommend this book to any student or layman who is interested in the history of mathematics. Kuldeep Singh.

• This is a fascinating book – with the great mathematical theories and proofs set out clearly, and some interesting insights into great mathematicians through the ages. A must for anyone who is hooked on numbers, shapes and patterns – or who merely want a better understanding of the world around us.

Anne Rooney gained a degree and then a PhD in medieval literature from Trinity College, Cambridge. After a period of teaching medieval English and French literature at the universities of Cambridge and York, she left to pursue a career as a freelance writer. She has written many books for adults and children on a variety of subjects, including literature and history. She lives in Cambridge and is Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Essex.