The Mathematics of Great Amateurs

One of the classics in the literature of the history of mathematics, this book is an enjoyable survey of the contribution to mathematics of several famous historical figures whose primary achievements were in other fields. This new edition (the first was published in 1949) incorporates a new biographical note about the author and an introductory essay which evaluates the book in the light of the historical and mathematical material that is now available by providing a commentary both on the individual chapters and on the changes that have taken place in the study of the history of mathematics.