Mathematics may not always be considered an inherently creative field, but William Dunham’s Journey Through Genius paints a different picture. With each theorem placed within its historical context, readers are transported through time, exploring the lives of the mathematicians who created them. From the absentminded Archimedes to the paranoid genius of Georg Cantor, Dunham weaves a narrative that highlights the humanity of these brilliant minds. But it is not simply a story – step-by-step proofs are provided for each theorem, making them accessible to anyone with a high school education in mathematics.
Journey Through Genius is a combination of history, biography, and mathematics that introduces readers to a field of human creativity often neglected. In the words of Isaac Asimov, it is “mathematics presented as a series of works of art; a fascinating lingering over individual examples of ingenuity and insight. It is mathematics by lightning flash.”
