Gauss: Titan of Science, G. Waldo Dunnington (with additions by Jeremy Gray), 2004, reprint of 1955 edition, 537 pp. $51.95 (member price $41.50), cloth. ISBN 0-88385-547-X.
If you are interested in an in-depth look at how one of the world’s most prolific mathematicians lived his life then you will enjoy G. Waldo Dunnington’s Gauss: Titan of Science. Gauss’s life as a professor at the
Gauss did not travel much, but he did have extensive correspondence with many of the mathematical figures of his time, and where relevant, parts of these communications are given. The text does not cite much of the mathematics of Gauss’s work because it tends to be very dense and written in Latin. However, an extensive overview of his work providing a good account of all that Gauss accomplished is included as an appendix at the end of the book. Because of the amount of detail, this is not an easy read, but if you are interested in who Gauss interacted with, where his ideas came from, and what it was like to live in his era you will find reading this book both rewarding and informative.
Jon Choate, Mathematics Dept., Groton School, Groton, MA
See also the MAA Review by Michael Berg.