Journey Through Genius
The Great Theorems of Mathematics
by William Dunham · first published 1990
93% recommend7% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Walks through great theorems and their proofs in historical context, with short biographies of the mathematicians. Reads like a novel and suits curious lay readers or students who want real math, not just anecdotes.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Mathematics is a science of rare mystery, created by great mathematicians who can at times seem like master magicians. This book opens up the world of mathematics to a wide and diverse audience of history, science, math, and general interest readers.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2020–2022Euler's Gem
David S. Richeson
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2013–2020Geometry revisited
H. S. M. Coxeter, Samuel L. Greitzer
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2014–2021Euler
William Dunham
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 65 recommend · 6 mention5 recommend · 65 recommend
2007–2025Men of mathematics
Eric Temple Bell
Recommended by 12 · mentioned by 2012 recommend · 20 mention12 recommend · 2012 recommend
2017–2026Elliptic tales
Avner Ash, Robert Gross
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 65 recommend · 6 mention5 recommend · 65 recommend
2022–2024The Mathematical Universe
William Dunham
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 43 recommend · 4 mention3 recommend · 43 recommend
2008–2025What is mathematics?
Richard Courant, Herbert Robbins
Recommended by 45 · mentioned by 5145 recommend · 51 mention45 recommend · 5145 recommend
2012–2025Measurement
Paul Lockhart
Recommended by 23 · mentioned by 3023 recommend · 30 mention23 recommend · 3023 recommend
I read this a couple weeks ago and decided to try and find a math book that incorporates some history in it. I found Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics with some great reviews. I am working on an iPad app that pairs up people to mentor each other through books like this. It has video chat and a shared whiteboard, so…
on “A Mathematician’s Lament (2002) [pdf]” ↗…what I am reading and the suggestions seem quite insightful :] I am not sure if any of the following books were recommendation already: - Carl B. Boyer - A History of Mathematics - William Dunham - Journey Through Genius - Philip J. Davi & Reuben Hersh - The Mathematical Experience - Martin Aigner & Günter M. Ziegler - Proofs from the Book - Imre Lakatos - Proofs and Refutations - Robert M. Young - Excursions in Calculus:…
on “Ask HN: How or where to begin learning mathematics from first principles?” ↗…3. Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (John Derbyshire, 2004) 4. Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra (John Derbyshire, 2007) 5. Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics (William Dunham, 1991) 6. Riemann’s Zeta Function (H. M. Edwards, 1971) 7. Gamma: Exploring Euler’s Constant (Julian Havil, 2009) 8. The Man Who Loved Only Numbers…
on “The Riemann Hypothesis, explained” ↗…For non-fiction: - Any book that tells some of the history of the field you have a career in. You need it for perspective. For me it was the books Hackers by Stephen Levy (problematic as it may be) and Journey Through Genius by William Dunham. They led me into deeper dives and other books which rooted my knowledge in some chronological perspective. - Surreal Numbers by Donald Knuth, a “fiction” book about Conway’s surreal…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗Take a look at Journey through Genius by William Dunham. I read it after high school and ended up spending much of the summer with a straightedge and compass making geometric constructions. It's not all geometry, though; there's plenty…
on “Ask HN: Good books on mathematics for somebody who's only taken high school math?” ↗…that I would suggest buying a book and enjoying. Among my favorite authors are: Keith Devlin (check out his latest: The Unfinished Game about the invention of probability.) William Dunham (check out: Journey through Genius: a survey of historically important math proofs that does not require too much background) The book that got me to return to mathematics after college was the Mathematical Experience by Reuben Hersh…
on “I suck at math, please divulge resources” ↗Try reading A Journey Through Genius: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-through-Genius-Theorems-Mathem... The read part is _great_, and it gets you to do math in a way that flows pretty easily from the reading.
on “A Life that Added Up to Something: Paul Erdos (1996)” ↗For a "popular" treatment of mathematics that does go into some mathematical detail "Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics" by William Dunham is difficult to beat. It is by far one of the best "Math" books I have read that have kept me coming back to it. Also, try some of the books by John…
on “Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?” ↗Agreed on Ulam. Also, there are many capsule biographies in William Dunham's "Journey Through Genius".
on “‘The Fractalist,’ Benoit B. Mandelbrot’s Math Memoir” ↗Yes, a million times! Journey through Genius is an excellent book (I, too, had this book for a History of Math class). It's really appropriate for people of all different levels of mathematical maturity. It's aimed to be read by a pretty much lay…
on “A Mathematician’s Lament (2002) [pdf]” ↗William Dunham's "Journey Through Genius" is a fantastic book. It is one of the best pieces of expository writing on mathematics that I have ever read. Almost anybody can pick it up, it reads like a novel; it dives directly into some very…
on “Ask HN: How or where to begin learning mathematics from first principles?” ↗…Dimension - Matt Parker What is Mathematics? - Courant and Robbins A History of PI - Petr Beckmann An Imaginary Tale - Paul Nahin e: The Story of a Number - Eli Maor Imagining Numbers - Barry Mazur Journey Through Genius - William Dunham Prime Obsession - John Derbyshire
on “Classic Mathematics Books for Lifelong Learners” ↗William Dunham has two books which are great: 1- Euler (The Master of us all) 2- Journey Through Genius. John Stillwell’s Mathematics and Its History. Needham’s Visual Complex Analysis.
on “Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?” ↗The book Journey Through Genius by William Dunham covers this, along with many other interesting mathematical problems.
on “A Mathematical Duel in 16th Century Venice” ↗Introduction to Graph Theory - Richard J. Trudeau A History of Pi - Petr Beckmann Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics - William Dunham How to Bake Pi - Eugenia Chang These are all sort of 'pop-math' books -- that is, they're more intended to spark a joy & love for math than teach…
on “Ask HN: I suck at math, where to start?” ↗