Number

What Hacker News says

1. listentojohanJul 2017
   The true eye-opener for me was reading Number - The Language of Science by Tobias Dantzig. The philosophy part of math as an abstraction layer for what is observed or deducted was a nice touch.
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2. codybAug 2013
   To add to the suggestions here, "Number" by Tobias Dantzig is absolutely a wonderful history of mathematics. I mean, shoot, it's actually got a quote from Einstein:

   "This is beyond doubt the most interesting book on the evolution of mathematics which has ever fallen into my hands. If people know how to treasure the truly good, this book will attain a lasting place in the literature of the world. The evolution of mathematical thought from the earliest times to the latest constructions is presented here with admirable consistency and originality and in a wonderfully lively style."

   —Albert Einstein

   http://www.amazon.com/Number-Language-Science-Tobias-Dantzig...

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