The Story of Numbers: How Mathematics Has Shaped Civilization

by John Mcleish

"Completely fascinating."
TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPLEMENT
Journeying through time, THE STORY OF NUMBERS explores the history of mathematics to trace the rise of various number sysems in cultures from Mesopotamia to the modern Computer Era. John McLeish reveals how these number systems in turn have shaped the cultures that devised them. From the secrets and the beauty of the Mayan calendar, to Arabaian algebra, the Chinese counting board, from Pythagoras to Newton to Boole, McLeish uncovers the human side of numbers, who used them and how they have shaped our world.

Genres: Mathematics, History, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 1994

Reviews

[Hannah]

I mean parts of it were interesting but it’s not the sort of book I would read for fun
It was kinda boring and I didn’t rly take much in, but there were some fun facts
Ngl I kinda just can’t wait to start reading fictional books again 😂

[Davis Gu]

This book is extremely interesting, and talks about how math affected society, from the very beginning, to modern time. It was surprisingly interesting because it compared and contrasted the mathematics and numbers from different regions of the world, such as chinese, arabic, and european. It also talked about how the arabic number system came to dominate mathematics.
Overall, it was a really good book for those interested in math and history. However, a basic knowledge of world history would be recommended.

[Gabriel]

A thought provoking, and assumption challenging look at how number thought evolved. Very easy to read, I understood most of the concepts with my high-school mathematics education.

[Skaitau]

Brilliant, loved it, used it as a teaching reference