Writing the history of mathematics. Its historical development (Q700337)

The book under review is an historiographic monograph offering the first detailed survey of the professional evolution and significance of the history of mathematics. It provides both an intellectual and a social history of the development of mathematics from the first such effort written by the ancient Greek author in the 4th century BC to the founding of the international journal ''Historia Mathematica'' by K. O. May in the early 1970s. The book is the result of more than 10 years of collaboration by a team of more than 40 experts. It is divided into 3 parts. The first part consists of 19 chapters which provide country-by-country surveys from ancient times to the end of the 20th century covering every part of the world where the history of mathematics has been written. The second part contains biographies of 300 historians of mathematics and 24 portraits. Part three provides a comprehensive bibliography of the most important literature devoted to the history of mathematics in Western languages. The book contains also an index. It is really a valuable monograph which should be studied by every historian of mathematics.