A Gentle History for Teachers and Others
by William P. Berlinghoff and Fernando Q. Gouvêa

This is a beautiful, important book, a pleasure to read, in which the history recounted truly illuminates the mathematical ideas, and the ideas themselves are superbly explained; a wonderful accomplishment.

- Barry Mazur, Harvard University

I think this book will be a wonderful resource for teachers of elementary mathematics. It not only provides a superb overview of the history of mathematics but also provides details on the development of the principal ideas of mathematics at the primary, secondary, and beginning college levels. Many of the brief chapters can even be given to students to read. I highly recommend the book for all teachers and prospective teachers.

- Victor Katz, University of the District of Columbia,
author of A History of Mathematics.

This delightfully written summary of the historical development of mathematics should be in the arsenal of every teacher or mathematics, from middle school to Ph.D. level. Brief, to the point, informative, and entertaining to boot.

- Keith Devlin, Stanford University,
author of The Millennium Problems, The Math Gene,
and The Language of Mathematics.

Very seldom does one come across a mathematics history text that can be recommended to middle school teachers as well as to those in the colleges and universities. Not only does Math through the Ages by Berlinghoff and Gouvêa provide a delightful solution to the needs of those with a wide range and depth of mathematics knowledge but little historical information, it also provides a venue for their students of mathematics. The bibliography the authors present is a treasure in itself. I highly recommend the book for every math teacher's personal library.

- Karen Dee Michalowicz
Upper School Mathematics Chair
The Langley School, McLean, VA
Adjunct Faculty, Graduate School
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Where did math come from? Who thought up all those symbols, and why? What's the story behind p? ...negative numbers? ...the metric system? ...quadratic equations? ...sine and cosine? The 25 independent sketches and 56-page historical overview in Math through the Ages answers these questions and many others in an informal, easygoing style that is accessible to teachers, students, and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas.

Bill Berlinghoff was educated at Holy Cross, Boston College and Wesleyan University, where he received his Ph.D. in Mathematics. He is a Visiting Professor at Colby College, author/co-author of several college texts on mathematics, and senior writer of MATH Connections, a Secondary Core Curriculum.

Fernando Q. Gouvêa was educated at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and at Harvard, where he received his Ph.D. in Mathematics. A Professor at Colby College, he teaches a course on the history of mathematics, and is the author of four mathematics books.