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James R. Newman
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The World of Mathematics: A Four-Volume Set (Dover Books on Mathematics) Paperback – November 6, 2003

by James R. Newman (Editor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Save 10% when you order the complete set! A monumental 4-volume reference, 15 years in the making, The World of Mathematics was specially designed to make mathematics more accessible to the inexperienced. It comprises non-technical essays on every aspect of the vast subject, including articles by scores of eminent mathematicians and other thinkers.
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  1. Print length
    2576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dover Publications
  4. Publication date
    November 6, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 5 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0486432688
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0486432687
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications (November 6, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 2576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486432688
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486432687
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.85 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 5 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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James R. Newman

James R. Newman

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
We don’t use a simple average to calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star. Our system gives more weight to certain factors—including how recent the review is and if the reviewer bought it on Amazon. Learn more
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Wiliam
5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfaction
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2013
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I got started to reading the 4 sets. I am really enjoying it. I am very glad with the acquisition done.
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Max Corey
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2016
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Just what I wanted.
One person found this helpful
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Michael Wischmeyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Authors, Great Articles, Great Fun
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2005
I pencil in the date that I finish reading an article in James R. Newman's four volume, The World of Mathematics. After a good many years, I now find that I am more than halfway through Newman's remarkable collection that spans 2500 pages. The Newman collection was published in 1956 as a hard cover boxed set that occasionally shows up in used bookstores. More recently, the four volumes have become available in soft cover reprints (Dover Publications) that can be purchased individually.

Newman described his work as "a small library of the literature of mathematics form A'hmose the Scribe to Albert Einstein, presented with commentaries and notes". The individual articles are not abridgements, but are reprinted in their entirety. Some are short, others quite long, a few are easy reading, some are difficult, but none are overwhelming. Each article is introduced by a thoughtful, helpful commentary.

I do not systematically read section by section. I skip around. Often, after Newman introduces me to some mathematical topic, I find myself sidetracked, exploring other books and authors. But eventually I return, select another article, and begin the cycle again.

What makes Newman collection so remarkable? Great original papers, great authors, and wide ranging topics.

Imagine reading Descartes on Cartesian coordinates, Whitehead on mathematical logic, Weyl on symmetry, Dedekind on irrational numbers, Russell on number theory, Heisenberg on the uncertainty principle, Turing on computer intelligence, Boole on set theory, and Eddington on group theory. Biographical and historical articles are scattered throughout. I especially liked Bell's article Invariant Twins: Cayley and Sylvester, and The Great Mathematicians by Turnball.

In some articles noted mathematicians try to define what is mathematical thought and how a mathematician creates mathematics. Clifford writes about The Exactness of Mathematical Laws, Von Neumann on The Mathematician, Weyl on Mathematical Way of Thinking, Poincare on Mathematical Creation, Newman on Godel's Proof, and Russell and Whitehead separately offer their thoughts on mathematical creativity. And, of course, there is G. H. Hardy's remarkable essay, A Mathematician's Apology.

Newman's compilation also includes a fascinating, eclectic mix of articles like How to Hunt a Submarine, Durer as a Mathematician, A Mathematical Approach to Ethics, Geometry in the South Pacific, and The Vice of Gambling and the Virtue of Insurance.

I have had great fun wandering through Newman's four volume set. I may someday finally read the last article. If so, I expect that I will simply begin again. It would be hard to say good-bye.
130 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Great collection!
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
I first came across this set long ago in grad school. It kind o' disappeared but I found it recently. Great read if you are into this sort of reading. The reason for the three stars is that for the price I paid, the condition of the book was disappointing.
3 people found this helpful
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Theoldlittleguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Bought it in the mid-50s
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2013
When I was a kid in high school, I was fascinated by basic algebra and geometry. I loved to solve logic puzzles. When I saw this advertised in my Dover catalog, I just knew I had to have it. Couldn't afford the hardcover ed., but could the paperback. My rural small-town HS library had like zero books on math. This book was a revelation -- Moebius strips, Einstein's simple equations on time dilation and length-shortening as one approaches the speed of light [a car traveling at 60 MPH shortens by less than a billionth of an inch], how mathematicians "do" math, articles by the people who create mathematics, and so on. I used the four vols as the basis for an essay on French mathematicians. Later on, when I was moving to the West Coast, I donated my copy to the local public library, one of a very few math books on the shelves. It was consequently removed, probably because of the soft cover and pages falling out. Now, at age 70, I will come back to my old friend, and buy the 4 volumes, hopefully in hardcover.
9 people found this helpful
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Peter B. Galvin
4.0 out of 5 stars Great content but mediocre binding
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2007
Verified Purchase
Love the contents of these books. Truly a classic that stands up well today. Unfortunately Dover chose to reissue these books as trade-press sized books with standard paperback bindings (along with the usual downsides of glue binding). Would have been great to give them a little better treatment (at least a lay-flat binding) for longevity and ease of reading.
33 people found this helpful
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R. Coffin
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection of original sources
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2006
I owned a hardcover version of this set for several years. I loved it. I wish I had thought of penciling in the date I completed an article like the reviewer from Texas. This set is engrossing. You need some discipline to keep from bouncing around for hours. Most of the articles are accessible to people with highschool trigonometry and calculus. It is great that Dover is around to pick up these works that would otherwise fade into history.
54 people found this helpful
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Jevons & Hollerith Books
5.0 out of 5 stars Complete listing of contents now available
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2007
We have posted the contents for all four volumes of this classic on "Amapedia", Amazon's wiki for additional product information. (The link is near the bottom of this Amazon product page, hidden in plain sight.) NOTE no longer true; see review discussion for instructions on how to get a copy
29 people found this helpful
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars El mundo de las matemáticas de Newmn
Reviewed in Mexico on June 2, 2017
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Es una recopilación de los mejores textos matemáticos de todos los tiempos, definitivametne es una referencia obligada para cualquier persona que estudie física, matematicas y computación, siendo támbien muy buenos libros de divulgacion para cualquier persona aficionada a la ciencia.
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