This is a list of mathematics books I find particularly accessible, interesting, or beautiful. Because I am not a mathematician, it is aimed at non-mathematicians. I don't pretend to understand any of them.
See also my (nascent) Physics for Liberal Arts Majors list.
Please suggest, if you know works that would fit here.
I went on my own math self-study journey a year or two ago and would also recommend these: - Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz. It doubles as a book on calculus and partial history of math. It was by far the most accessible writing/prose of all the math books I read. - What is Mathematics, Really? by Reuben Hersh. It's pretty dry reading but still the best philosophy of math book I read. It has a lot to say on the "Was Math Invented or Discovered?" debate, and probably would have settled the debate if it was more widely-read. - How to Lie with Statistics by Darrel Huff. It teaches the basics of statistics while also teaching how to spot bad statistics, which is a hourly occurrence on social media and TV news. - Arithmetic by Paul Lockhart. It gets into how and why basic math came about in the first place
Would Field's Science without Numbers be too mathematical, too broadly scientific or too philosophical for this type of list? I know you probably want to cover more territory than specialise but I would tout Moschovakis' Notes on Set Theory over Halmos. Overall a more beautifully written book that makes for a better understanding of the natural intuitions for why we have a foundations of mathematics.
good list overall though, thanks for making.
Both added, thanks for the suggestions! Both are very much at home on this list.
knot theory in context of mathematics is so fucking insane. I literally don't fucking understand how anyone can put in the effort to figure them out. The most autistic yet honorable lust for knowledge. FYI Frenkel's Love and Math is also a great book that explores "What if math was taught like art, where we start with appreciating the masterpieces?"
That's an awesome premise! Added.
I enjoyed Mathematics and Its History by John Stillwell, e: the Story of a Number by Eli Maor, Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel by Rebecca Goldstein , and Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity by David Foster Wallace. All of which should be approachable if you have taken high school Calculus. Great list btw.
Added, thanks!
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