Jointly Published by the MAA & Oxton House Publishing

Math Through the Ages can be used as a History of Mathematics text, as a Liberal Arts Mathematics Text, or as part of the preparation of future mathematics teachers.

“A marvelous book…very well organized and thus very user-friendly…a wonderful resource for teacher. It provides a superb overview of the history of mathematics and details on the development of the principal ideas of mathematics at the primary, secondary, and beginning college levels.”
—Victor Katz, University of the District of Columbia

“This is a beautiful, important book, a pleasure to read, in which the history recounted fully illuminates the mathematical ideas, and the ideas themselves are superbly explained; a wonderful accomplishment.”
—Barry Mazur, Harvard University

“Very seldom does on come across a mathematics history text that can be recommended to middle school teachers as well as too those in colleges and universities…The bibliography the authors present is a treasure in itself. I highly recommend this book for every math teacher’s personal library.”
—Karen Dee Michalowicz, The Langly School, McLean, VA

Where did math come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? What’s the story behind? …negative numbers?…the metric system?…quadratic equations?…sine and cosine? The 25 independent sketches in Math Through the Ages answer these questions and many others in an informal, easygoing style that’s accessible to teachers, students, and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas. Each sketch contains Questions and Projects to help you learn more about its topic and to see how its main ideas fit into the bigger picture of history.

The 25 short stories are preceded by a 56 page bird’s-eye overview of the entire panorama of mathematical history, a whirlwind tour of the most important people, events, and trends that shaped the mathematics we know today. “What to Read Next” and reading suggestions after each sketch provide starting points for reader who want to pursue a topic further.

Instructors manual available for adoption orders.