Books

Looking for some more real life maths? The following books (listed by order of title) are all worth a read. Some go deeper into the maths than others; some are entire books focused on a specific topic whilst others give just a tiny glimpse into a host of themes. Each review includes a link to its page at Amazon, but other book sellers are available and we'd always encourage shopping around.

	Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens Andrea Wulf This is not a maths textbook by any definition, but mathematics is very much at its root. This is an account of two large-scale expeditions, eight years apart, to record two 18th Century solar transits of Venus in order to calculate accurately for the first time the size of our solar system. Amid various global and national situations including war, disease and unrest, Wulf's telling of the first truly international scientific collaboration feels like a novel, a gripping read until the very end. Reviewed by Tom
	The Maths Behind Colin Beveridge Aside from being generally interesting and written in Colin's usual friendly and approachable style, this book opens up a host of things that you are already aware of - such as penguins, passwords and pool balls - and introduces you to the maths running underneath the surface. Throughout the book he demonstrates how to tinker with the maths, and have a good numerical rummage: it's surprising how much more sense the world makes when you've got the right tools. Reviewed by Tom
	The Undercover Economist Tim Harford I came to this book convinced that economics is boring: Tim Harford (he of More or Less fame) proved me utterly and completely wrong. He leads us by the hand into the bustling undercurrents flowing surprisingly near to the surface of things we take for granted in our everyday life, explaining such things as why there are different sizes of coffee available and the reasons behind the enormous gaps between rich and poor countries. An impressively easy read that nevertheless opened my eyes a little wider regarding how our modern stuff-and-services-driven society works - and how to avoid being hooked and reeled in by some of the tricks of the trade.

Read any good books lately?

If you've read a great book with some real real-life maths in it, let me know especially if you've got a quick review to go with it!

Are you an author?

If you've written a book with some real real-life maths in it I'm always open to being sent copies but I will only post books here that are relevant to the site's mission and are worth recommending to people.

Books with broader themes may be more suitable for my personal/professional site, Tommaths. Books with an astronomical theme could be great for Blogstronomy.