Foolproof, and Other Mathematical Meditations Illustrated Edition

I am the last person to ‘review’ Brian Hayes .He writes very well and has chosen many topicsFrom columns written some years ago, But completely brought up to date. The chapters arenot page turners!So there is a real reason to buy Foolproof...

I got this volume of mathematical essays as a gift. When I saw the first title "Gauss Sums It Up" I silently rolled my eyes, thinking "I've read that story a dozen times before, thanks anyway." But that first essay is a meta analysis of the Gauss story itself (which points out giant, obvious holes in it) with a unique graph of a type I've never seen before to trace the development of the underlying anecdote. Marvelous!And the following essays are even more absorbing and take equally unexpected, but beautiful turns. Lovely, fun. Each essay is a self-contained little adventure, but I gobbled them up several at a time. Candy!Also, as a bonus, my hardcover edition has a perfect illustration on the cover, simple but full of meaning and stark beauty. A fitting match for this work of art.