Kiselev's Geometry / Book I. Planimetry [Hardcover]

A. Kiselev (Author), Adapted from Russian by Alexander Givental (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2006

This is an English translation of a classical Russian grade school-level text in plane Euclidean geometry. (The solid geometry part is published as Kiselev's Geometry / Book II. Stereometry ISBN 0977985210.) The book dominated in Russian math education for several decades, was reprinted in dozens of millions of copies, influenced geometry education in Eastern Europe and China, and is still active as a textbook for 7-9 grades. The book is adapted to the modern US curricula by a professor of mathematics from UC Berkeley.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Beware the code words "quantitative reasoning" often bandied about by the secret enemies of geometry who would suppress that subject like some sort of pagan religion or foolish luxury. In fact, most high schools, for various reasons, bypass rigorous geometry for weak calculus; as a result, many college students now hit a brick wall trying to follow any precise logical argument, or worse, construct one. Plato warned us! In the book by Kiselev, translator Givental, himself a very distinguished mathematician, aims to rescue geometry for our time by bringing into English a classic of Russian pedagogy, a book with a track record extending back more than a century. Indeed, under the Soviets, an era of prodigious mathematical achievement, Kiselev's book actually attained the status of stable, meaning it was the entire nation's official book for classroom use, and it held that status for decades, remaining popular still. SUMIZDAT (the name evidently a portmanteau of sum and samizdat) calls itself a publisher promoting nonsense-free mathematics and science curricula. Givental's excellent and concise Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (2001), albeit published by the AMS, also nicely fits this category. Certainly library shelves must make a place for Kiselev's classic! By D. V. Feldman, University of New Hampshire. From November'07 issue of --Choice (book review magazine for academic libraries)

I highly recommend (...) Kiselev's Planimetry. I can claim that no geometry textbook in history of Western civilization was printed in more copies than Kiselev. By Alexandre Borovik, the author of ''Mathematics under the microscope" --Homeschoolmath blog.

The book under review is an expanded translation of a unique phenomenon in the Russian mathematical literature. First published in 1892 by A. P. Kiselev as Elementary Geometry, by 1940 it underwent more than 40 revisions and eventually became a measuring rod for geometry education in Russia against which all other textbooks had to be judged. If nothing else, this book's staying power may serve as an enticement to anyone interested in, or involved with, high school geometry. Its introduction to the English speaking student and teacher is thus more than welcome. The effort by A. Givental, who translated the book from Russian and combined pieces of the many editions of the original, deserves wholehearted recognition and sincere praise. (...) The book was originally written in a clear, no-nonsense style which has been polished over its many editions and revisions. The style was well preserved in the translation. There is nothing in the book that will even occasionally distract from the subject. (...) In the Translator's Foreword, Professor Givental mentions three virtues of a good textbook (precision, simplicity, conciseness) formulated yet by Kiselev himself, and adds a fourth one competence in the subject. Thinking specifically of Kiselev's Geometry, one other feature must be mentioned: autonomy of the discourse. Every textbook is created for a particular audience which is usually characterized by the level of preparedness to absorb the material, both in terms of the requisite knowledge and the ability to do so. The requirements are usually set up in the introduction and are commonly violated in the text. This is either done tacitly or with a reference to the imposed limitations on the size or the scope of the book. One salient virtue of Kiselev's Geometry is that, throughout, the author remains faithful to his intended audience, viz., middle and junior high school students taking up geometry for the first time. (...) The full review is found here --Mathematical Association of America Online Book Reviews. --Mathematical Association of America Online Book Reviews

--Mathematical Association of America Online Book Reviews

The book under review is an expanded translation of a unique phenomenon in the Russian mathematical literature. First published in 1892 by A. P. Kiselev as Elementary Geometry, by 1940 it underwent more than 40 revisions and eventually became a measuring rod for geometry education in Russia against which all other textbooks had to be judged. If nothing else, this book's staying power may serve as an enticement to anyone interested in, or involved with, high school geometry. Its introduction to the English speaking student and teacher is thus more than welcome. The effort by A. Givental, who translated the book from Russian and combined pieces of the many editions of the original, deserves wholehearted recognition and sincere praise. (...) The book was originally written in a clear, no-nonsense style which has been polished over its many editions and revisions. The style was well preserved in the translation. There is nothing in the book that will even occasionally distract from the subject. (...) In the Translator's Foreword, Professor Givental mentions three virtues of a good textbook (precision, simplicity, conciseness) formulated yet by Kiselev himself, and adds a fourth one competence in the subject. Thinking specifically of Kiselev's Geometry, one other feature must be mentioned: autonomy of the discourse. Every textbook is created for a particular audience which is usually characterized by the level of preparedness to absorb the material, both in terms of the requisite knowledge and the ability to do so. The requirements are usually set up in the introduction and are commonly violated in the text. This is either done tacitly or with a reference to the imposed limitations on the size or the scope of the book. One salient virtue of Kiselev's Geometry is that, throughout, the author remains faithful to his intended audience, viz., middle and junior high school students taking up geometry for the first time. (...) The full review is found here --Mathematical Association of America Online Book Reviews

I highly recommend (...) Kiselev's Planimetry. I can claim that no geometry textbook in history of Western civilization was printed in more copies than Kiselev. By Alexandre Borovik, the author of ''Mathematics under the microscope" --Homeschoolmath blog

From the Back Cover

"Those reading these lines are hereby summoned to raise their children to a good command of Elementary Geometry, to be judged by the rigorous standards of the ancient Greek mathematicians."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Sumizdat; First Printing edition (December 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977985202
• ISBN-13: 978-0977985203
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional and unique book!, February 23, 2007

By 

Lilia Tsalenko "LT" (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiselev's Geometry / Book I. Planimetry (Hardcover)

This is a unique book that not only introduces the students to the world of 2-D Geometry, but teaches them fundamental concepts of mathematical logic and rigorous proof.

All the definitions and theorems are very well illustrated and discussed in a thought-provoking way. All pictures are intuitive and simple, and in many instances show different ways of thinking about the same concept, or problem, or idea.

The book achieves an extraordinary goal - using only elementary concepts it opens the world of real mathematics.

This goal is achieved by a combination of the time-proved approach to introducing the concepts of axioms, theorems, and proofs and an exceptionally rich set of well-tested exercises and problems of various levels of difficulty.

Kiselev's Geometry will greatly benefit every middle-school and high-school student who will study it carefully and thoughtfully. The benefits will go far beyond Geometry, as the students will gain ability to think about new concepts, approaches, ideas, and these skills are applicable to every single domain of the modern human knowledge.

The instruction of a competent and enthusiastic teacher is definitely needed for most students studying this book, as the material has to be discussed and played with.

This is not a self-study manual.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Legendary Geometry Book, April 11, 2008

By 

Natalia Smirnova (Palo Alto, California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiselev's Geometry / Book I. Planimetry (Hardcover)

There is no such person in Russia who never heard anything about "Geometry" by A. Kiselev. Usually students quickly forget names printed on covers of their school textbooks, but the name "Kiselev" became a legend. Several generations of Russian school students learned to think mathematically by studying this book.
Kiselev's Geometry is written in a plain language. Material is organized in a very logical way. All definitions, axioms and theorems are formulated in an absolutely precise mathematical style. All pictures are clear. All proofs are straightforward. This gives students an opportunity to understand everything in this book even after first reading and helps to build solid knowledge in geometry.
For people who wants to form their own opinion I would also recommend to read Translator's Foreword and take a look on sample pages (there are 49 of them) at the publisher's website: http://www.sumizdat.org/

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far better than the mediocre books currently in my childrens curriculum, July 21, 2008

By 

Gilad Orr - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiselev's Geometry / Book I. Planimetry (Hardcover)

Being obsessed in creating "more accessible" learning material for the higher grades, boards of education around the globe tend to approved what can be best described as mediocre material in geometry and mathematics. Regretfully this has become the norm. Though more than a century old, Kiselev's Geometry stays current and teaches mid graders the structure and lucid reasoning of geometry. It further teaches the children proper mathematical rigor and serves as a proper introduction for higher mathematics in collage.