Mathematics for the Million

Rating:
Summary: A Math Primer which has passed the test of time
Review: The original edition was published in March 1937, and the present version is "updated" no more than necessary to remain accessible. Although it spans the essential concepts of basic mathematics from number systems to calculus, it embeds these in historical context that takes the chill edge off the schoolroom's stark exposure to ideas that startle the mind at first. At ten years old, I enjoyed its 1965 resurgence, which undoubtedly paved the way for my eventual Ph.D. in physics. But the book wasn't written for physicists or math-whiz wannabees. It was written for "the Million" -- the hoards of civilized men and women who benefited little from classroom math instruction and now feel the loss. Its continued popularity (or marketability, at any rate) testify to the skill with which Hogben has made the supposedly arcane both accessible and comfortable.

Rating:
Summary: A Math Primer which has passed the test of time
Review: The original edition was published in March 1937, and the present version is "updated" no more than necessary to remain accessible. Although it spans the essential concepts of basic mathematics from number systems to calculus, it embeds these in historical context that takes the chill edge off the schoolroom's stark exposure to ideas that startle the mind at first. At ten years old, I enjoyed its 1965 resurgence, which undoubtedly paved the way for my eventual Ph.D. in physics. But the book wasn't written for physicists or math-whiz wannabees. It was written for "the Million" -- the hoards of civilized men and women who benefited little from classroom math instruction and now feel the loss. Its continued popularity (or marketability, at any rate) testify to the skill with which Hogben has made the supposedly arcane both accessible and comfortable.