The book records the essential discoveries of mathematical and computational scientists in chronological order, following the birth of ideas on the basis of prior ideas ad infinitum. The authors document the winding path of mathematical scholarship throughout history, and most importantly, the thought process of each individual that resulted in the mastery of their subject. The book implicitly addresses the nature and character of every scientist as one tries to understand their visible actions in both adverse and congenial environments. The authors hope that this will enable the reader to understand their mode of thinking, and perhaps even to emulate their virtues in life.
"The book under review is a collection of biographies of hundreds of mathematicians, chronologically ordered by year of birth. ... The authors are to be commended for such a great work, which is expected to be useful to a great number of readers. ... Many readers will also find the book pleasant to page through while relaxing, with a cup of coffee, in an armchair." (Mowaffaq Hajja, zbMATH, Vol. 1326.01001, 2016)
"Agarwal (Texas A&M Univ.-Kingsville) and Sen (GVP College of Engineering, India) begin their book with 36 pages of brief histories of arithmetic, astronomy, mathematical science, and computational science. Though each section is very succinct, all highlight the fundamental significance of the areas and give a sense of the development of the subject. ... Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates."(R. L. Pour, Choice, Vol. 52 (10), June, 2015)
"This book wants to illustrate how mathematics has grown. ... It contains all the information in one volume, not available elsewhere in this form. So it certainly deserves a place in a mathematics library. For those who explore the world from behind their computer, they can use the pdf version in which they can search electronically if they prefer that instead of paging through a hard copy book." (Adhemar Bultheel, euro-math-soc.au, December, 2014)
"Agarwal (Texas A&M Univ.-Kingsville) and Sen (GVP College of Engineering, India) begin their book with 36 pages of brief histories of arithmetic, astronomy, mathematical science, and computational science. Though each section is very succinct, all highlight the fundamental significance of the areas and give a sense of the development of the subject. ... Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates."(R. L. Pour, Choice, Vol. 52 (10), June, 2015)
"This book wants to illustrate how mathematics has grown. ... It contains all the information in one volume, not available elsewhere in this form. So it certainly deserves a place in a mathematics library. For those who explore the world from behind their computer, they can use the pdf version in which they can search electronically if they prefer that instead of paging through a hard copy book." (Adhemar Bultheel, euro-math-soc.au, December, 2014)