Overview

This book is something of a classic of the literature of the history of mathematics. It deals not with the men and women who made mathematics their life and work but with those significant figures who were primarily known for some other activity yet whose contributions to mathematics were of permanent value. With this lucid and hugely enjoyable survey, Professor Coolidge attempted to evaluate their mathematical discoveries in the light of what was known about their lives and circumstances. First published in 1949, it remains a valuable and highly scholarly introduction to these figures. Inevitably, modern scholarship has thrown new light on the subjects of this book. Rather than disrupt the overall flow of the book which is produced here unchanged, Professor Jeremy Gray has provided a short biographical note about Professor Coolidge and an introductory essay which discusses where new historical and mathematical material is now available. Thus, Professor Gray is able to describe both the strengths and flaws of this account and to discuss the new ways in which the history of mathematics is being re-evaluated.

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9780198539391

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The level of Professor Coolidge's scholarship is high, the style is lucid, and the work is enjoyable reading. --Nature<br> Professor Coolidge has added yet another book to delight mathematicians. --Isis<br> Coolidge's book has become a minor classic, not just for its historical erudition but also for its clear, informal style. --American Scientist<br> The reader will find a good deal here. The Mathematics of Great Amateurs has stood the test of time to become an essential reference on the shelf of every working historian of mathematics. It remains a delightful read' for the general mathematician with even a passing interest in the development of the subject.<br> The Mathematics of Great Amateures (Coolidge) is great fun. Coolidge discusses the contributions of many folks, including Omar Khayyam, Da Vinci, Pascal, De Witt (apparently the first to make a careful study of annuities), and L'Hospital. I particularly like the discussion of George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and his apparent discovery of geometric probability. It made me recall with fondness my introduction to the Buffon needle problem by my late friend Gian-Carlo Rota. --The Bulletin of Mathematics Books<br>

<br> The level of Professor Coolidge's scholarship is high, the style is lucid, and the work is enjoyable reading. --Nature<br> Professor Coolidge has added yet another book to delight mathematicians. --Isis<br> Coolidge's book has become a minor classic, not just for its historical erudition but also for its clear, informal style. --American Scientist<br> The reader will find a good deal here. The Mathematics of Great Amateurs has stood the test of time to become an essential reference on the shelf of every working historian of mathematics. It remains a delightful read' for the general mathematician with even a passing interest in the development of the subject.<br> The Mathematics of Great Amateures (Coolidge) is great fun. Coolidge discusses the contributions of many folks, including Omar Khayyam, Da Vinci, Pascal, De Witt (apparently the first to make a careful study of annuities), and L'Hospital. I particularly like the discussion of George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and hi

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