Customer Reviews

Carl Friedrich Gauss: Titan of Science (Spectrum)

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Being an aficianado of the history of mathematics and science I did not hesitate to buy this book; and I would recommend it to anyone who loves stories about mathematicians. But it is much more of a (dry) 'unmathematical' biography than I expected. The author has done an amazing amount of research---the book is teeming with anectdotal stories about people related to Gauss and is filled with references to source material. This is certainly a book I enjoy 'having read' more than I enjoyed reading.

This book is a very dry and scholarly biography of Gauss. It shows an incredible amount of research on the part of the author and includes pretty much anything you would want to know about Gauss. It also includes a large number of letters that he sent and received which is a very nice touch. Despite most of it being fairly dry it does include some very fun stories. You will defiantly have a "favorite Gauss story" when you finish reading this book.
The author does an exceptional job on his researcher and his book contains a wealth of knowledge. All of the information is portrayed well, but without any type of personal flair. The book is well organized if one where using it for research purposes. However, if you plan to pick this up and read it cover to cover the chronology of his life is sometimes hard to grasp.
Overall this is definitely the best biography there is on one of the most important scientist of the early 19th century. I would recommend it if you are truly interested in the topic. I myself enjoy much more talking about what I learned from this book than actually reading it.

I am so glad to see this book back in print. I am a great great great granddaughter of Gauss and have been referring people to this book for the last several years, always knowing it was hard to find. It is my primary reference for Gauss, and much of it is very readable. It addresses Gauss' personal life, as well as his mathmatics, and the original edition has short biographies of Gauss' children, and a genealogy.

Thank goodness this excellent book has finally been reprinted. This book has been my primary source for research information on the early life of Gauss, and provides a lot of really useful information on this fascinating genius. I have ordered this book as I myself am writing a book which details how some of Gauss' ideas have influenced modern life.

By the way - MATHSINGER - if you read this; I have taken the liberty of adding you to my Amazon friends list - if you would like to correspond with me about your illustrious progenitor I would be delighted. Any insight into this fascinating individual and giant of science would be most helpful in the preparation of my own book...