1 comments about Notable Mathematicians: From Ancient Times to the Present.

1. This book is everything the Booklist review states: excellent selection of individuals, a number of appendicies that provide valuable cross-tabulation information, and the most thorough time-line of mathematics I have seen (35 pages). It is a respectable reference book for students and the general public with reading skills of grade 9 or higher. The mathematics content is accessible to persons with intermediate algebra or higher.
   
   The unfortunate drawback of this book is that the biographies are in alphabetical order. The publishing company missed a valuable opportunity: if instead published in order of mathematical developments (semi-chronological) with some bridging material, the book could be both an "armchair" reading book for the general public and a textbook for courses in liberal arts mathematics, mathematics history, etc. Given the excellent cross-tabulations in the appendices, an electronic edition would also be highly valuable.
   
   A minor issue with the book is that the biographies have been slightly sanitized so as to be palatable with high school libraries in the U.S. At the same time, the authors struck a balance by being very forthcoming about the lives and fates of persons. For example, the entry on Pythagorous is excellent for a high-school reference book.
   
   This book can be found in public libraries throughout the U.S. and at many high-school and college libraries as well.
   
   Other books to consider:
   
   Victor Katz has published A History of Mathematics: An Introduction (2nd Edition) which is suitable for an upper-division mathematics-major course in math history. Highly recommended to teachers and students researching the development of mathematics.
   
   Tobias Dantzig's Number: The Language of Science which would be better subtitled "the vocabulary of measurement", is accessible to any successful college sophomore. It gives a somewhat chronological account of the human development of number concepts. Highly recommended to anyone interested in number concepts.

5 comments about FitzRoy: The Remarkable Story of Darwin's Captain and the Invention of the Weather Forecast.

1. The figure of Fitzroy lurks in the background of the Darwin saga and it is actually quite refreshing to draw him out on this score, both because of the interest in his life and work on its own terms and also for the light it throws on Darwin's early explorations in biology. Fitzroy's achievements in weather forecasting are little known, and his contribution to Darwin's education no doubt proceeds indirectly from the context of disciplined and meticulous scientific work in the Beagle's prime mission.



2. The father of weather forecasts and explorer of South America. Robert FitzRoy will be remembered by me. This book tells us about a great British aristocrat who gave more than he took. I love Patrick O'Brian and this could have been his but it is real story about a real person. FitzRoy was a remarkable man who history has pushed back to the shadows and labeled Darwin's Captain. FitzRoy, whose family is descended from Charles II, becomes a beloved British Man-o-war Captain, explorer, politician and eventual Vice Admiral. Mr. Gribbin gives us a picture of one of the last explorers and scientific innovators who charts South America, tries to support native rights in New Zealand and gives the world weather forecasting, yet is forgotten. His end did not justify his life. He was an amazing man who deserved more. He was faithful to his family, his country and religion. A good man and a great read.



3. I got this book because I am playing Fitzroy in Timberlake Wertenbakers play After Darwin. It has a wealth of information on the good Captain and enabled me to find a pathway into his mind that would not have had otherwise. The combination of excepts from the Narrative, Sullivan and Usborne's journals, and the record of Darwin himself paint an honorable picture that Fitroy would have been happy with. The recounting of the loss of a ship to the Fuegians on the voage preceeding Darwin is particuary interesting.



4. This work, by John and Mary Gribbin, combines a deep respect for Robert FitzRoy and his achievements with sound research. The end result is a book that is accessible to anyone with an interest in this complex and multi-faceted man.
   
   Described by Charles Darwin as being 'A very extraordinary person', Robert FitzRoy served Britain as a naval captain (most famously as Captain of HMS Beagle), as a Governor of New Zealand, and in the field of weather forecasting.
   
   While covering the voyages of HMS Beagle, this book provides information on FitzRoy's governorship of New Zealand as well as his achievements in weather forecasting. Along the way, we obtain glimpses of the struggle between a greater understanding of science and a deep innate religious conservatism. Robert FitzRoy tragically took his own life a few months before his 60th birthday.
   
   A fascinating book about a fascinating man.
   
   Highly recommended
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith



5. If not for anything else he did in his life, this man should be remembered for setting up the first weather forecasting service in England during the middle nineteenth century. That he was the Captain of the "Beagle" when Charles Darwin sailed on it as 'naturalist'; is not half as important as he was the one who set in motion the random currents that caused Darwin to be on the ship for its' full five year plus voyage.
   
   He was a remarkable man who because he was also humble and self-effacing never ended up getting the critical acclaim that his life's work demanded. His five year voyage on the "Beagle" resulted in the most detailed mapping of the South American continent from the Plate to Valpariso, and especially the area around Cape Horn and the Straits of Magellan. So detailed were his maps that they were used for over 100 years.
   
   During the voyage, he also determined all of the meridians and set-up their places on maps by which other sailors were able to determine their place anywhere on the earth at any time. Later, he devised a system by which ships could be signaled at sea that a major storm was brewing created the "gale warning" system. His work on meteorology was the first to use telegraphy to coordinate the capture of weather statistics so that information could be printed in newspapers the same day. He also devised the first two day weather forecasting, including the coining of the word 'forecast'.
   
   The story of his life and accomplishments is well written, and well documented, besides being entertainingly presented. Great Biography.

No comments about Religion Of A Scientist: Selections From Gustav Theodor Fechner.

4 comments about William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles.

1. You would think a biography by a grand-daughter may tend to the less objective side. Catherine Mulholland's work is a referenced account of the fight for municipal control of water, and subsequently power, in the early 1900's in Los Angeles. Mulholland takes you by the hand, almost as if you were on an tour with "The Chief", through Willaim Mulhollands childhood, departure from Ireland, to eventual settlement in Los Angeles. From there she cronicles the water needs of the pueblo (pop. 10,000); Mulhollands rise from digger to the designer of the Los Angeles Aquaduct; his management of the political arena to the St. Francis Dam. It was the 'over success' of Bill Mulholland to bring water to a desert that allowed the expotential growth of Los Angeles in area and character. Discriptions of the water works are fascinating - some surviving parts of it still are in use. If you have ever wondered what the real story was behind the film "Chinatown", this is it.



2. Catherine Mulholland sets the tone of the book in the preface, where she focuses on putting previous publications in their place, and states her reliance on newspapers of the time. As pointed out in an earlier publication (Water and Power by W. Kahrl) newspapers are an unreliable source of information because they tend to reflect the bias of the publisher at the time. Mr. Kahrl relied on official records and documents whereas Ms. Mulholland relied more on newspaper accounts and less on official documents.

   In large part the book covers the life and times of William Mulholland, but it certainly leaves the reader with the impression that he did only good in his lifetime. Unfortunately the book ignores or does not respond to much of the criticism heaped upon Mr. Mulholland by more contemporary publications, and instead focuses on his positive contributions. In this respect the book is not entirely well balanced. Although well written I fear that this book is an attempt by the family to have the final word on the history of a complex man who was more dimensional than the author allows.




3. This book follows the entire sequence of events that lead the city of Los Angeles from a small agricultural town with a population of 10,000 in 1880 to become one of the major cities in North Americia. I thought that I knew about Mulholland before I read this book. Even today he is a minor legend in southern California. The real story is presented here. This book is well organized, well written, and very objective.



4. One of the great stories in American history was the transformation of Los Angeles from a sleepy, anarchic California town into the megalopolis of today. And in any history of this transformation, the figure of William Mulholland looms large, for it was he who almost single-handedly brought about this transformation by providing Los Angeles with the one thing it needed to grow: an abundant water supply. This was accomplished by building an aqueduct to divert water from the Owens River to L.A. But this was no peaceful project; residents of Owens Valley, farmers and ranchers, felt the water had been appropriated from them through cronyism and legal bullying. They retaliated by blowing up sections of the aqueduct in 1924 and 1927. Mulholland himself met his own downfall with the collapse of the St. Francis Dam in 1928, a disaster that killed over 500 people and destroyed Mulholland's career.
   
   These are but parts of a great story in American history, but one would never know it from reading his granddaughter's tome, for the vivacity of the times is thoroughly lost in needless detail; almost a year by year survey of her grandfather's accomplishments. Instead she is more intent on refuting the critics' charges, painting Mulholland as a pragmatist guided by a progressive vision of what Los Angeles could become. Because of this stand, her arguments are not altogether convincing; the Owens Valley residents tend to be painted as villains exploited by villains on the press that seek Mulholland's downfall. In the Preface we are given warning of this bias when she takes previous books on the subject to task. Her attempt at exonerating her grandfather for the St. Francis Dam disaster is also unconvincing, almost as if she were attempting to refute the movie "Chinatown", itself a piece of fictionalized history.
   
   If by reading the above paragraph one thinks this biography is lively, think again. The best way to obfuscate an issue is to bury it in details, and the book covers its subject almost year by year, which is a shame given the subject matter and the presence of Mulholland, a mover and shaker who, unfortunately, became a prisoner of his own vision. Mulholland's life is akin to a Greek tragedy, and this is the stuff of which history is made, not the mere recitation of facts. The tragedy is that, given the subject matter, this book could have been so much more than it turned out to be.

2 comments about R.J. Mitchell: Schooldays to Spitfire.

1. What a pleasure to read a straight forward, well compiled book about a man and a time where integrity, loyalty and modesty mattered and self aggrandizement was not considered a virtue. So different from the situation today where, honours and plaudits are heaped upon those whose only claim to fame seems to be in the making of money.



2. Where would England be today without the work of Reginald Joseph Mitchell who designed the Spitfire and Dame Houston who paid for the development of the Merlin engine when the government could not or would not do it. She was a patriot before it was cool to be one.
   
   Mitchell despite his medical condition continued to work until the end. He even designed a 4 engine bomber that looked like a big spitfire and was faster that any other at the time. Unfortunately the prototype was damaged in a German bombing raid on the factory and the government would not fund another. There is no mention of him at the R.A.F. museum in London. An unknown hero. The Spitfire and radar in the UK and the radio proximity fuse in the US changed the outcome of the war.

No comments about Alchemical Laboratory Notebooks and Correspondence.

No comments about Crashes, Booms, Panics and Government Regulation (Secrets of the Great Investors).

2 comments about Maria Mitchell: A Life in Journals and Letters.

1. One doesn't have to be an astronomer to enjoy this book about an extremely gifted,intelligent and independent woman. This book is mostly from her own diaries and wonderfully edited and annotated. In order to pursue the interest in astronomy fostered by her father, she actually taught herself mathematics, including calculus. She spent clear nights, whatever the temperature on in the small observatory of her Nantucket home. At the age of 29 she became world-famous for discovering a comet, an accomplishment that brought her awards, recognition and even a gold medal awarded from the King of Denmark.
   Her world travels are fascinating as are the many famous people she met. There's a very amusing anecdote about a trip in Europe with Nathanial Hawthorne and his family.
   She became professor of astronomy at Vasser in 1865 and carried on a constant correspondence with the president and trustees of Vassar with her peppery, terse and
   assertive letters requesting equal salary equal to male professors - a struggle still experienced by today's women.
   Her contemporaries and friends were suffragists such as Julia Ward Howe and Elizabeth Cady, writers such as Emerson and Alcott and other famous people. It was a given that she would become President of the Association for the Advancement of Women and was in great demand as a speaker.
   A woman reader will be constantly amazed to find so much in comman with this 19th century woman. However, men,too, will enjoy her achievements, intelligence and travelogues.



2. Many people know of Nantucket Island. To some, it has the reputation of a beautiful seaport with well restored buildings, cobble stoned streets, very active tourism activity, and a particularly affluent summer colony. Others know of its rich history, particularly the prosperous whaling industy that existed in the 1800's. A visitor soon finds out that there's much more. You don't have to walk far from the ferry landing to be aware of the outstanding museums, one of which has the collection of he Maria Mitchell Association.
   The Mitchell family, William, Lydia, and their ten children, lived and were active in the prosperous whaling town, but had different interests. Maria, the third child, and her father became ardently interested in astronomy. Her mostly self education, particularly in science and mathematics, will amaze you as you read the Albers book. Few people know much of this extrordinary woman.
   The book, a collection of Miss Mitchell's letters, diaries and other related materials, was edited by the fifth director of he Vassar College Observatory, Dr. Albers. Maria Mitchell was the first. She organized the astronomy department of the then new college, Vassar, in 1865.
   Biiographies , and actually much non-fiction , do not have wide appeal to many readers. This book is truly refreshing and an enlightening read. In the background is the fascinating story of the island where she grew up and he status of women in 18th century America, although one doesn't have to be a history buff or a feminist to enjoy this book.

1 comments about Einstein in His Own Words.

1. Einstein wrote well on a surprisingly varied number of subjects. The heart of his writing will of course always be in his scientific work. And the true expression of that in mathematical language which most of us laymen cannot possibly comprehend. But he wrote well about scientific subjects in ordinary, understandable language. He also wrote with wit and wisdom about political subjects, about matters of morality. He once said' Common sense is that layer of prejudice deposited in the mind before eighteen years'. Yet Einstein himself had no small amount of common sense as well as the extraordinary uncommon sense( Which led him to ask questions no one before had thought to frame in the way he did.) This selection of his writing is small and yet tastefully done. What also adds to the impressiveness of the volume is the outstandingly clear and striking illustrations and pictures which fill up a good share of the pages.
   If one wants a simple good short summary book on Einstein, this could be it.

1 comments about Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age.

1. Discount the "genius" factor, the elder brother, Wilbur Wright, argued. It was an aggregation of peculiar circumstances that led the two brothers to succeed where many predecessors had failed. The author describes those peculiar circumstances in lengthy details that could be summed up as follows:
   
   1- The religious, rigid, uncompromising father of two sons and a daughter had passed to them his character of steadfastness and distrust in the world around them. That isolated them from others. Their introversion contributed to their dedication to hard work. Hard work led to learning of new skills. Their introverted sister stayed unmarried until 52. Her income and strong dedication to her family supported the odd and bizarre experimentation of her two brothers. The feud of their father with the church led them to move and the two brothers failed to graduate from high school. Thus, they faced more hard work and despair.
   
   2- Starting a new business in printing local newspapers helped them in two ways. They followed the scientific progress of previous flight efforts by the German and French and mastered new mechanical skills on how to make machines work. A friend of the Wrights sneaks under a printer to figure out how it does the printing despite its mute existence, to no avail. The Wrights entrusted machines to do impossible tasks that defy common sense.
   
   3- Their failure in the printing business got them into the bicycle business. Here, they refined their mechanical skill further but learned a pivotal key to their future success. That is: control. Bicycles are the most complex machines that man has invented since they depend on the instinct of brain control in order to maintain equilibrium (balance). That control factor will give birth to the new age of flight.
   
   4- Their literary knowledge gained from printing, mechanical craftsmanship gained from designing bicycles and fixing printers, had coincided with the role of the Smithsonian Institute and a childhood's toy of a helicopter brought to them by their father. The death of a famous German glider few years earlier induced them to approach the Smithsonian Institute for information on flight machines.
   
   5- Living in rural Ohio in 1900 afforded them the space and time to aspire for a new dream to fame and wealth. The vast landscape and observation of nature sustained their curiosity and hope for attaining fame. They rose above their neighbors with their noisy and huge boxy flight machines, while their father had failed to rise above his adversaries in the local church.
   
   6- What set them different from others was the common sense of lay persons. The three dominant steps for attempting flying at those days were: obtaining power for propulsion using heavy steam engines, starting with small models of manned machines, and gliding. The Wright's common sense of mastering "control" first of all stemmed from their bicycle experience.
   
   7- They started with unmanned kites, worked on their aeronautic control and equilibrium when airborne, then manned the controllable glider, and finally added power to it. Progressively, they pushed for distance, airborne time, and altitude, until gained confidence in their ability to control take off, balance, and landing. Their contribution to the flight is founded on their demonstration that control of an airborne, heavier than air flying machine was within reach. (Haven't birds mastered that principle for millenniums?)
   
   8- In 1908, they were transformed from destitute common people into world figures welcomed by the monarchs of Italy, Britain, Spain, and Germany. In a photograph prior to flying over the Governor's Island in New York, Wilbur looked miserably depressed while three New York Policemen watched him gambling with his life. He realized the perils of being alone in a new age. With a suit, tie, and soft hat, approaching the age of 40, conquering the air alone with no substantial gain, frightened the elder brother. Yet, he died from typhoid fever shortly afterwards. He always felt that success and happiness had passed him by since his early years. In a Carnival to honor their achievement, Wilbur felt being used for advertisement gimmicks for the city. His depression stood in his way to rejoice his historic accomplishment.
   
   9- Their rigid upbringing, though aided them battle the painstaking experimentation with aeronautics; it hampered their ability to excel in the world of businessmen. Their patent did not offer them secure, affluent living and the fast pace technology had surpassed them sooner than they expected. They were born to serve the history and the only reward they got was honor. They lived and died in their father's home, unmarried to the end.
   
   
   Mohamed F. El-Hewie
   Author of
   Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training