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I am finding it a little dry but interesting. If you want to know about the history of numbers, this is the book for you.
In addition, the Afterword, which attempts to bring the reader up to date on relevant mathematical developments that occured after the fourth edition, fails to mention "undecidability" and the immense impact it has had on the issues discussed in the chapter entitled "The Anatomy of the Infinite."Dantzig's Number continues to be accessible and generally insightful, but it is a shame that no one at Plume Books took due care and responsibility for its production. This is a reprint of the author's 1954 fourth edition sandwiched between a new Foreword and Afterword. Neither the editor (Joseph Mazur) nor his brother (Barry Mazur, who wrote the Foreword) nor either of the advertised reviewers (Mario Livio or Charles Seife) apparently actually proofread the text as there are a distressing number of readily apparent typographic errors in the printing, both in the text and figures.For a volume trumpeted on its title page as "The MASTERPIECE SCIENCE Edition" the many errors belie that mantle.
I hope the few number of reviews for this title is not indicative of its popularity. This accessible, yet deep, book is delightful to read and thought-provoking.
However, I have found that Part II can be quite challenging for liberal arts students -- and quite stimulating to those whose studies included a more rigorous tour of mathematics. I think Part I is worth the price of the book on its own.If you wish to learn more about the history of mathematics and mathematicians, you might wish to examine Notable Mathematicians: From Ancient Times to the Present edited by Robyn V. I am a mathematics teacher and have used this book as either a required reading or suggested supplement for a variety of courses, including math history for liberal arts students, number theory for mathematics majors, etc.The book (4th edition) is divided into Part I and Part II -- the latter comprising only the last 4th of the book. Do not let this bother you. Young and Zoran Minderovic. Any successful college student will find Part I informative, and at times wonderfully enlightening about the development of the concepts of number and measurement. This book was written for the armchair reader, so expect a reader-friendly style of writing.
I'd be interested if there is a sequel that incorporates new developements.It was the Einstien quote that stimulated my impulse to buy the book. Reading it again while attempting to work through some related problems is my next step.Written by an author who died the year I was born, this book is still fresh, alive & compelling. Just finished reading the entire narrative of the book up to the appendicies. I learned so much about the connection of disparate branches of mathematics.
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