The compiler of this dictionary is a professor of mathematics and his love of the subject is evident from this volume. He has contributed to a number of other dictionaries of quotations, including one on communication, so he has quite a lot of expertise in this format. This volume contains almost 3,000 entries arranged in 38 chapters, each of which has a number of subsections. The chapters begin with religion and mathematics; the nature of mathematics; the development of mathematics; its history and origins; language, linguistics and mathematics; the sciences and mathematics; the arts and mathematics; the social sciences; and the nature of infinity. They continue with quotations relating to mathematics and people who have used it; problems and problem solving; logic and foundations; proof and mathematics; sets and functions; numbers and number theory; arithmetic; algebra; geometry; measurement; topology; calculus; computers and algorithms; theory of probability; and statistics.
The book is aimed mainly at those who are seeking an apt quotation to illustrate a point, but it will also be welcomed by mathematicians, students and others who want to get a real appreciation of the nature and essence of mathematics. For example, the chapter on historical origins of mathematics provides a commentary on the contributions made by ancient civilisations of the world to the development of the discipline. Most of the quotations are relatively modern, but some go back in time, including a quotation from Epicurus dated 300BC. There is a massive bibliography listing the books used as sources for the quotations, together with some titles that can provide additional information. An author index of those quoted is provided together with a keyword index to mathematical terms and mathematicians.
