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The book shop — some good reads
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Books listed here can be purchased at discounted prices from either amazon.co.uk if you are in the UK or Europe or www.amazon.com if you are in the US of A. Click on the appropriate flag below to go to either site.
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Maths books for children
Books here are for younger pupils. Click on the picture to check Amazon's discount price, read reviews and purchase if you wish.
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Some good reads
Books reviewed here are aimed at general readers, especially parents, who are interested in reading about mathematics... but not necessarily reading mathematics. The books are about the history of maths, the personalities of mathematicians — their foibles, their passions, their rivalries — and something of what it is to think mathematically.
These are books for people who would never claim to be mathematicians. They are books for people who would probably claim they know nothing of maths.They are books for people who would like to understand maths. Most can be dipped into.
They are for the uninitiated.
Or among pupils, they are for those who are aspiring mathematicians, hungry for maths and are fascinated by everything mathematical.
However, they are not all suited for younger students. They are not textbooks or revision guides. But enthusiastic pupils may find them of interest. And parents who want to understand something of maths may find here inspiration to help inspire their offspring.
If you've ever looked at a pine cone and enjoyed its patterns, wondered how a computer really works, or just wondered at the pyramids... these are the maths books for you. If you've marvelled at Newton, but are intrigued by Newton the ordinary man... these are the books for you. And what's the link between the minutes on your watch and 5000-year-old Babylonian maths in clay... then read on.
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The Magical Maze by Ian Stewart
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The Magical Maze, by Ian Stewart
A very readable guide through the mathematics maze.
The maths of nature, the maths of computers, the maths of chance, chaos explained and even how best to tie your shoelace.
Prof Ian Stewart is the maths teacher you always wanted and never got.
Maths for those who, wrongly, think maths is not for them.
This book is based on Ian Stewart's 1997 contribution to the annual Royal Institution Christmas lectures for young people.
Easy to read at any level. If the maths gets a bit too detailed... just skip onto the next bit. It still all hangs together.
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Pi A Biography of the World's Most Mysterious Number by Alfred Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann
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Pi A Biography of the World's Most Mysterious Number by Alfred S Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann
A great book for anyone who is simply curious about the magical number number, π… through to the serious mathematician.
You can dip in and out of this book at whatever you choose, from what is π, to π curiosities, to the paradoxical, to the historical to the full blown geniuses method for finding the value of π.
Pi has fascinated and challenged peoples across the globe from the earliest of times. The history and development of mathematics in all societies can be charted by the quest to find the value of π to ever more decimal places.
The story of π is a human tale of passion, obsession, inquiry… as well as the mathematical tale of the ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter.
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From Here to Infinity by Ian Stewart
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From Here to Infinity, by Ian Stewart
The mathematicians' version of From Here to Eternity.
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Mathematical Circus by Martin Gardner
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Mathematical Circus, by Martin Gardner
One of Martin Gardner's delightful collection of puzzles, games, paradoxes and mathematical entertainments from one of the greatest popular writers on maths. Based on his classic series of columns in Scientific American by this amateur conjurer, humorist, musician, computer scientist and highly respected mathematician.
Find out about thinking machines, random motion, rabbit breeding and the solar system using dollar bills, abacuses, toothpicks and matches.
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Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers by Martin Gardner
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Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers, by Martin Gardner
More from Martin Gardner.
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My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles by Martin Gardner
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My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles, by Martin Gardner
Yet more from Martin Gardner. Any of these anthologies are worth sampling. After all his column was published monthly from 1957 to 1982.
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The Colossal Book of Mathematics by Martin Gardner
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The Colossal Book of Mathematics, by Martin Gardner
The definitive anthology big book of entertaining maths from Martin Gardner. Expensive, so try out one of the paperback above first.
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Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh
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Fermat's Last Theorem, by Simon Singh
The story of the maths riddle that confounded the world's greatest minds for 358 years. An exciting detective story, a story of silly people and clever people, of greed, avarice and sobre dedication.
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The Magical Universe by William Dunham
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The Mathematical Universe, by William Dunham
An alphabetical journey through the great proofs, problems and personalities. Lots of quirky anecdotes and amusing asides.
A very readable guide through the history and personalities of the world of maths.
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The Language of Mathematics by Keith Devlin
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The Language of Mathematics, by Keith Devlin
A great introduction to mathematics, pointing to the beauty of maths and its usefulness. An ideal first read.
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Mathematical Scandals by Theoni Pappas
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Mathematical Scandals, by Theoni Pappas
An entertaining brief history of the real people in mathematics... their rivalries, crimes, obsessions, jealousies. The National Inquirer of maths.
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How To Solve It by G Polya
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How To Solve It, by G Polya
A classic which gets repeated recommendations as the book to give anyone showing an interest in problem solving and maths.
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Isaac Newton, The Last Sorcerer by Michael White
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Isaac Newton, The Last Sorcerer by Michael White
A highly readable biography of one of the greatest mathematical and scientific minds in history... complete with human foibles, warts and all.
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An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i by Paul Nahin
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An Imaginary Tale by Paul Nahin
The history of the number that doesn't exist, the square root of minus 1... but is vital to all maths.
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To Infinity and Beyond by Eli Maor
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To Infinity and Beyond, by Eli Maor
Leaves Buzz Lightyear falling... with style.
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The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigal
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The Man Who Knew Infinity, by Robert Kanigal
A story of Ramanujan, the Madras railway clerk who was one of the greatest of all mathematicians. Ever.
With a failed formal education Ramanujan invented his own maths symbols and ways of working, wrote little down, but opened up much of modern maths with his genius, before dying lonely and unhappy in Cambridge in his early 30s. It is still a scandal that neither the Cambridge nor Madras universities has yet to honour the memory of this intriguing mathematician who ate only lentils and who worshipped the ancient Indian goddess Namijira.
An inspirational tale of general interest, but of interest to all mathematicians of whatever ability.
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Radical Equations: Math Literacy and Civil Rights by Robert Moses and Charles Cobb
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Radical Equations: Math Literacy and Civil Rights, by Robert Moses and Charles Cobb
Bob Moses's work to organise black voters in Mississippi in the early 1960s famously transformed the political power of black communities in the USA. Nearly 40 years later, Moses is organising again, this time as the founder of a national US maths literacy programme called The Algebra Project. Through personal narrative and impassioned argument, Moses teaches the lessons of the civil rights era and shows them at work in a remarkable movement today, where students and communities are demanding maths literacy education as a key to economic equality and equal citizenship. Contains possibly the best argument available on the need to urgently build a culture of math literacy for our children... both in the UK as well as the USA. An inspirational read.
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The Code Book by Simon Singh
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The Code Book by Simon Singh
A readable history of codes and cyphers, those who made them and those who battled to break them from Mary Queen of Scots, the brilliant Arab philosopher al-Kindi through to the Pole Marian Rejewski and Alan Turing who broke the Enigma code. A fascinating history of intrigue, espionage, secrecy and a tale of maths in action, well within the reach of any interested secondary school student.
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Dictionaries, reference and revision
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The Oxford Mathematics Study Dictionary
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The Oxford Mathematics Study Dictionary
Highly recommended. The best all round maths dictionary, helped with double-page spreads and colour.
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The Penguin Dictionary of mathematics
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The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics
The Penguin dictionary. More advanced than the Oxford version, suitable for A-level students.
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Edexcel GCSE Mathematics Higher Course textbook
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Edexcel GCSE Mathematics Higher Course textbook
The text book used at Southgate for pupils studying for the Higher level GCSE in maths.
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CGP revision
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Key Stage Three Mathematics Revision Guide, levels 3 to 6
Year 9, Key Stage Three Mathematics Revision Guide, levels 3 to 6
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CGP revision
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Key Stage Three Mathematics Revision Guide, levels 5 to 8
Year 9, Key Stage Three Mathematics Revision Guide, levels 5 to 8
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Some more good reads
More books, yet to be reviewed
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