The Mathematician’s Library: The Books That Unlocked The Power Of Numbers

(Briggs, Ivy, £281)

Generations of school students have asked their maths teachers what the point of this is - where 'this' is, say, Pascal's triangle. As Briggs makes clear, however, even problems that didn't seem to have much bearing on maths at the time have since contributed to our mathematical understanding, and sometimes given rise to whole new fields of study.

This wide-ranging book takes in probability, fractals, astronomy, Babbage, Lovelace and a host of other areas and people. It's a feast of a book - beautifully produced, lavishly illustrated and surprisingly readable.

Briggs' key achievement is to make maths seem inviting, intriguing and exciting. We learn about many of the unsung heroes who have contributed to the subject over thousands of years, as well as some landmark texts, complete with thumbnail sketches of their contents.

Maths teachers seeking fresh inspiration for their students will almost certainly find it here.

This review was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. To comment on it, and to read an alternative version, please read this: Compare and Contrast #9