Includes index and glossary.

Introduction : the magic of numbers -- Starting with numbers -- Numbers put to work -- The shape of things -- In the round -- The magic formula -- Grasping the infinite -- Numbers at work and play -- The death of numbers -- Proving it.

Long ago, the earliest human civilizations discovered the strange and fascinating quality of particular numbers and wove them into their superstitions and religions. Numbers have entranced people ever since. This book tells the story of mankind through mathematics from cave dwelling to modern life-- Source other than Library of Congress.