The Best Writing on Mathematics 2010

While compiling the new math releases for my site that helps you “discover new books“, I came across a brand new book by Princeton University Press, called “The Best Writing on Mathematics 2010“. While I haven’t had the opportunity to read this book yet, (it was just released yesterday), I think it looks extremely promising.

Here is a description of it directly from the publisher:

This anthology brings together the year’s finest writing on mathematics from around the world. Featuring promising new voices alongside some of the foremost names in mathematics, The Best Writing on Mathematics makes available to a wide audience many articles not easily found anywhere else–and you don’t need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These writings offer surprising insights into the nature, meaning, and practice of mathematics today. They delve into the history, philosophy, teaching, and everyday occurrences of math, and take readers behind the scenes of today’s hottest mathematical debates. Here readers will discover why Freeman Dyson thinks some mathematicians are birds while others are frogs; why Keith Devlin believes there’s more to mathematics than proof; what Nick Paumgarten has to say about the timing patterns of New York City’s traffic lights (and why jaywalking is the most mathematically efficient way to cross Sixty-sixth Street); what Samuel Arbesman can tell us about the epidemiology of the undead in zombie flicks; and much, much more.

In addition to presenting the year’s most memorable writing on mathematics, this must-have anthology also includes a foreword by esteemed mathematician William Thurston and an informative introduction by Mircea Pitici. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in where math has taken us–and where it’s headed.

I’m eagerly waiting for my copy to arrive, as it sounds like the kind of book that can provide readers with an overview of the direction in which some of the most exciting and cutting edge mathematical research is currently headed.

If you’d like to pick up your own copy to start the year off with some advanced math reading, this title is now available and in stock on Amazon.

Sponsor’s message: Check out Math Better Explained, an elegant and insightful ebook that will help you see math in a new light and experience more of those awesome “aha!” moments when ideas suddenly click.