Annotated Bibliography
“History of Mathematics and Science”
Cyrus Malek, Department of Mathematics
Study Grant: Summer II, 2008
Most Useful for History of Math prior to 17th century
Introduction to History of Mathematics by Howard Eves (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 3rd
Edition, 1969). This is a classic book about history of mathematics that explains about how
mathematical problems developed before 17th century. It introduces mathematics to math and
math education majors and it is required to have an extensive knowledge in Euclidean geometry
to follow the topics. Portraits of mathematicians and material on women in mathematics are of
special interest in this book.
A History of Mathematics by Victor Katz (Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1992). In this
book, a special effort has been made to explain about mathematics development in non western
societies such as China, India, and the Islamic world. It also contains substantial material on
astronomy and some detailed discussion about Newton’s and Kepler’s discoveries and their
disputes in this field. This is one of the most recent general history of mathematics books and it
includes a very large number of problems for practice.
A History of Mathematics by Jeff Suzuki (Prentice Hall, 2001). This book provides a description
of mathematics and shows how mathematics was actually practiced throughout the millennia by
past civilizations. It discusses advancements of mathematics during Egyptian, Babylonian,
Greek, Roman and Medieval era. It emphasizes on numeration, computation and the notational
aspect of mathematics development in these eras. It also contains a chapter about Newton and
Leibniz accomplishments and their feud about the invention of calculus.
Most Useful for History of Math after 17th century
History of the Calculus and its Conceptual Development by Carl Boyer (Dover Publications,
1959). This is a good reference to study the development of calculus and its application in
science. This book shows the effect of calculus in creation of the modern science. It has the most
fluent description of the integral and differential calculus. It starts with early Medieval
contributions and leads up to the era of Newton and Leibnitz, followed by the discovery of the
final rigorous formulation that we know today. It emphasizes on the role of Newton and Leibniz
in this development and is considered to be one of the classical works about the creation and
advancement of Calculus.
The Saga of Mathematics by Lewinter and Widulski. (Prentice Hall, 2001). This book uses lively
language to put mathematics in an interesting context and points out its many links to art,
philosophy, music, science and technology. Also, mathematical concepts are presented in a way
that makes them relevant to daily life issues.
Most Useful for Newton’s Biography and his contribution to the Calculus
Newton at Rest: A biography of Isaac Newton by Richard Westfall (Cambridge University Press,
1981). This is a thorough book which explains in detail all aspects of Newton’s life. It is an
older edition book and its footnotes generally refer to original manuscripts and letters. It contains
a detailed biography of Newton with an exclusive use of the manuscript sources. Also, it is
considered to be a fundamental resource work on the scientific revolution.
Isaac Newton: Adventurer in Thought by Rupert Hall, et al. (Cambridge University Press, 1992).
This book explains in detail Newton’s interest and his accomplishments in mathematics,
alchemy, astronomy, philosophy, and Physics. The author has surveyed the vast field of modern
scholarship to interpret Newton’s mathematical and experimental approach to nature.
Newton’s Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton Unlock the System of the World by David Berlinski (Free
Press, 2002). This book mostly explores Newton’s strange childhood and his eventual career in
government. It stays largely focused on his Cambridge years and in particular, the development
of the Principia book.
“How Newton Built on Galileo’s Idea” an article by Michael Fouler. This article is published by
Physics department at University of Virginia and it contains some nice animation and graphical
presentation about discovery of gravitational force. This is a good article that can be used as a
reference in physics courses.
Let Newton Be! by Fauvel, et al. (Oxford University Press, 1988). This is a well written and
short book about Newton’s discoveries in mathematics, optics and alchemy. It contains lots of
interesting schematic figures related to these topics. It dedicates a chapter to discuss anti-Newton
sentiments and his appraisal in twentieth century.