Burkard Polster

between 2.5 and 3. this is a great, beautiful little book. unfortunately i was unable to follow it once i got about halfway through. ever since a virus messed with my brain a few years ago, i've had trouble with some critical thinking, and this was no exception. it's beautifully and simply done, but once i got past a certain point i actually needed more explanation. at the very end he says that in some of the proofs he skipped some steps (in order, i assume, to keep it clean and short, as each one is on only one small page, even with the illustrations). so i understand why he did it, but it made it very difficult for me. with all the steps shown, i might actually have been able to understand even the higher concept ones. (maybe not, but without all the explanations there was no chance for me.) for the ones that i understood, though, it was so lovely to see them laid out the way he did it, and with the drawings.

it really is a beautiful little book. i think, though, that it's a little too complicated and lacking in explanation for someone without any math background at all, even as it's made to explain the main mathmatical proofs through history. at the same time, i'm not sure someone who is super into math would care about this, because it covers the stuff they already know. so i guess i'm not sure who the audience is for this, which makes me round down my rating.

but still a beautifully executed and produced little book.… (mais)