A Manual of Greek Mathematics

Abstract

IT is scarcely necessary to introduce the reader to an author so well known and so distinguished for his writings upon Greek mathematics. Among those who are fortunate enough to have learnt something of the wonder and liveliness of ancient geometry, a new book by Sir Thomas L. Heath is always hailed with delight. On the other hand, there are doubtless many who may be tempted to think that, amid the distractions and interests of present-day science, it is a vain thing to spend time in reading up history of such a distant past. There is presumably enough to engage the attention of the most active mind in acquiring a working knowledge of current methods in mathematics or mathematical sciences. This is, of course, a mistaken idea: from the point of view of gaining proficiency in technique alone, there is much value in cultivating mathematical style, just as the young artist is encouraged to study the work of the early masters: and no boy plays worse cricket from watching Hobbs bat. Greek arithmetic, Greek algebra, and Greek geometry were all wrought by men of genius, who were working in a material of not too intricate a texture, so that an intelligent reader, with only the rudiments of mathematics, can follow their arguments without a long apprenticeship. It is therefore a boon to have a book which gives unstintedly an account of these early centuries, and enables a student to read for himself of the doings and discoveries of Euclid and Archimedes. A Manual of Greek Mathematics. By Sir Thomas L. Heath. Pp. xvi + 552. (Oxford: Clarendon Press; London: Oxford University Press, 1931.) 15s. net.