The Art of More: How Mathematics Created Civilization

An illuminating, millennia-spanning history of the impact mathematics has had on the world, and the fascinating people who have mastered its inherent power

Counting is not innate to our nature, and without education humans can rarely count past three -- beyond that, it's just "more." But once harnessed by our ancestors, the power of numbers allowed humanity to flourish in ways that continue to lead to discoveries and enrich our lives today.

Ancient tax collectors used basic numeracy to fuel the growth of early civilization, navigators used clever geometrical tricks to engage in trade and connect people across vast distances, astronomers used logarithms to unlock the secrets of the heavens, and their descendants put them to use to land us on the moon. In every case, mathematics has proved to be a greatly underappreciated engine of human progress.

In this captivating, sweeping history, Michael Brooks acts as our guide through the ages. He makes the case that mathematics was one of the foundational innovations that catapulted humanity from a nomadic existence to civilization, and that it has since then been instrumental in every great leap of humankind. Here are ancient Egyptian priests, Babylonian bureaucrats, medieval architects, dueling Swiss brothers, renaissance painters, and an eccentric professor who invented the infrastructure of the online world. Their stories clearly demonstrate that the invention of mathematics was every bit as important to the human species as was the discovery of fire. From first page to last, The Art of More brings mathematics back into the heart of what it means to be human.

Author: Michael Brooks
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Published: 01/18/2022
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.58h x 6.51w x 1.22d
ISBN: 9781524748999


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 08/01/2021 pg. 17
Publishers Weekly 11/01/2021
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2021
Booklist 12/01/2021 pg. 14

About the Author
MICHAEL BROOKS is a science writer with a Ph.D. in quantum physics and the author of several books, including 13 Things That Don't Make Sense and The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook, a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year in 2017. He lives in the UK.