The Universal History of Numbers : From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer Export

@book{citeulike:516691, abstract = {{The title doesn't lie. Mathematician Georges Ifrah's masterpiece, <I>The Universal History of Numbers</I>, is a wonderfully comprehensive overview of numbers and counting spanning all the inhabited continents as far back in time as records will allow us to look. Beyond the ancient Babylonians, Sumerians, and Indians, Ifrah takes us farther south into Africa to examine an early decimal counting system and into ancient Mexico to reconstruct what we can of the Mayan calendar and numerical system. The 27 chapters are chiefly organized by culture, though there are some cross-cultural overviews of topics like letters and numbers.<p> The author's aim was grand: "to provide in simple and accessible terms the full and complete answer to all and any questions ... about the history of numbers and counting, from prehistory to the age of computers." This led him to wander the world for 10 years, studying and learning; this scholastic pilgrim has returned with amazing stories to tell. Toward the end of the book, Ifrah makes the book truly universal by refuting alien-intervention theories of cultural origins--surely our benefactors would have given us an efficient decimal counting system, zero and all, before helping us build pyramids and such. Such charming ideas, combined with such rigorously researched facts, make <I>The Universal History of Numbers</I> a uniquely important and fascinating volume. <I>--Rob Lightner</I>} {"Georges Ifrah is the man. This book, quite simply, rules. . . . It is outstanding . . . a mind-boggling and enriching experience." The Guardian (London) "Monumental. . . . a fascinating journey taking us through many different cultures." The Times (London)"Ifrah s book amazes and fascinates by the scope of its scholarship. It is nothing less than the history of the human race told through figures." International Herald Tribune Now in paperback, here is Georges Ifrah s landmark international bestseller the first complete, universal study of the invention and evolution of numbers the world over. A riveting history of counting and calculating, from the time of the cave dwellers to the twentieth century, this fascinating volume brings numbers to thrilling life, explaining their development in human terms, the intriguing situations that made them necessary, and the brilliant achievements in human thought that they made possible. It takes us through the numbers story from Europe to China, via ancient Greece and Rome, Mesopotamia, Latin America, India, and the Arabic countries. Exploring the many ways civilizations developed and changed their mathematical systems, Ifrah imparts a unique insight into the nature of human thought and into how our understanding of numbers and the ways they shape our lives have changed and grown over thousands of years. "Dazzling." Kirkus Reviews "Sure to transfix readers." PublishersWeekly }}, author = {Ifrah, Georges}, citeulike-article-id = {516691}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&amp;path=ASIN/0471393401}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike01-21&amp;path=ASIN/0471393401}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike06-21&amp;path=ASIN/0471393401}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471393401/citeulike00-21}, citeulike-linkout-4 = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/0471393401}, citeulike-linkout-5 = {http://www.worldcat.org/isbn/0471393401}, citeulike-linkout-6 = {http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0471393401}, citeulike-linkout-7 = {http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?keywords=0471393401&index=books&linkCode=qs}, citeulike-linkout-8 = {http://www.librarything.com/isbn/0471393401}, day = {09}, howpublished = {Paperback}, isbn = {0471393401}, keywords = {history, number, symbol\_system}, month = {October}, posted-at = {2006-02-23 04:00:02}, priority = {5}, publisher = {Wiley}, title = {The Universal History of Numbers : From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer }, url = {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike07-20&path=ASIN/0471393401}, year = {2000} }

TY - BOOK ID - citeulike:516691 L3 - citeulike-article-id:516691 N2 - {The title doesn't lie. Mathematician Georges Ifrah's masterpiece, <I>The Universal History of Numbers</I>, is a wonderfully comprehensive overview of numbers and counting spanning all the inhabited continents as far back in time as records will allow us to look. Beyond the ancient Babylonians, Sumerians, and Indians, Ifrah takes us farther south into Africa to examine an early decimal counting system and into ancient Mexico to reconstruct what we can of the Mayan calendar and numerical system. The 27 chapters are chiefly organized by culture, though there are some cross-cultural overviews of topics like letters and numbers.<p> The author's aim was grand: "to provide in simple and accessible terms the full and complete answer to all and any questions ... about the history of numbers and counting, from prehistory to the age of computers." This led him to wander the world for 10 years, studying and learning; this scholastic pilgrim has returned with amazing stories to tell. Toward the end of the book, Ifrah makes the book truly universal by refuting alien-intervention theories of cultural origins--surely our benefactors would have given us an efficient decimal counting system, zero and all, before helping us build pyramids and such. Such charming ideas, combined with such rigorously researched facts, make <I>The Universal History of Numbers</I> a uniquely important and fascinating volume. <I>--Rob Lightner</I>} {"Georges Ifrah is the man. This book, quite simply, rules. . . . It is outstanding . . . a mind-boggling and enriching experience." The Guardian (London) "Monumental. . . . a fascinating journey taking us through many different cultures." The Times (London)"Ifrah s book amazes and fascinates by the scope of its scholarship. It is nothing less than the history of the human race told through figures." International Herald Tribune Now in paperback, here is Georges Ifrah s landmark international bestseller the first complete, universal study of the invention and evolution of numbers the world over. A riveting history of counting and calculating, from the time of the cave dwellers to the twentieth century, this fascinating volume brings numbers to thrilling life, explaining their development in human terms, the intriguing situations that made them necessary, and the brilliant achievements in human thought that they made possible. It takes us through the numbers story from Europe to China, via ancient Greece and Rome, Mesopotamia, Latin America, India, and the Arabic countries. Exploring the many ways civilizations developed and changed their mathematical systems, Ifrah imparts a unique insight into the nature of human thought and into how our understanding of numbers and the ways they shape our lives have changed and grown over thousands of years. "Dazzling." Kirkus Reviews "Sure to transfix readers." PublishersWeekly } SN - 0471393401 TI - The Universal History of Numbers : From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer PB - Wiley KW - history KW - number KW - symbol_system AU - Ifrah, Georges PY - 2000/10/09/ UR - http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&amp;path=ASIN/0471393401 ER -