The Mathematical Tourist: New and Updated Snapshots of Modern Mathematics

When the first edition of Ivars Peterson's The Mathematical Tourist was published in 1988, the New York Times called it "a rich array of ideas, drawing on virtually every branch of mathematics and bunging in plenty of late-breaking developments to boot." Now Peterson has expanded this popular book to feature another decade of mathematical progress, including new sections on crystal structure, string theory, mathematicians' use of computers, chaos theory, and Fermat's Last Theorem. Most of the other sections have been reworked and reworded as well, and there are many new illustrations. One thing that has not changed is the clarity of Peterson's writing and his almost unparalleled ability to make mathematical ideas themselves interesting, without focusing on the lives and personalities of mathematicians. Martin Gardner called the first edition "a travel guide that the professional mathematician will read with as much excitement and pleasure as the veriest amateur ... a masterpiece of popular exposition," and this second edition is no less. --Mary Ellen Curtin