The Art of More: how mathematics created civilisation

Really interesting overview of the key branches of mathematics and how they have contributed to human progress, combined with funny and interesting stories about the figures involved. Author also does a great job at making sure any maths covered is simple and digestible for the reader.

This is an excellent book, proving a great review of an important but often neglected feature of the development of thought. Scholarly but accessible. Much recommended!

Very Insightful book but with some frustrating gaps in the explanations. Well worth reading but I kept wishing for just a little more explanation in some key areas. Or maybe it’s just me.

This unique book attempts to answer the question of whether “mathematics created civilization” or did “civilization create mathematics”Great addition to my mathematics library

As an engineer, I used to be good at maths but since finishing uni 3 decades ago I have forgotten 98.76% of what I learned. Now I'm into it again.At first I thought this book might have been a little simple for me, but once the author hit quaternions and octonions I changed my mind. Never fear though, the author doesn't list out reams of mathematical proofs, he just explains that such things exist, where they came from and what use they are. And so now I'm curious again - a lovely refreshing feeling at my age, when it is easy to be weighed down by mundane life.I also enjoyed the little biographical snippets about some of the key characters, laughing out loud about a few of them. Not typical for a book about maths.

Science writer Michael Brooks offers a fascinating intellectual "tour" of important discoveries in math which helped advance civilization throughout human history. Brooks writes in an understandable style, as he discusses vital insights in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, information theory, and other areas. I think that anyone (with a basic background in math) who is interested in this subject would enjoy this book.

This book is a neat and concise timeline of how mathematics powered civilisation, because mathematics are the tools that power science.And Because our civilisation is powered by people who understand that science it is essential that schools and universities stay on the straight and narrow foundation of mathematics and science. To stray from the straight and narrow path of truth is to wander off into to the swamp of civilisational collapse.

This book tells you much of the history of math, including the most recent. Eminently worthwhile.