From Servant to Queen: A Journey through Victorian Mathematics

Traces the development of pure mathematics during the long nineteenth century in Britain, with extensive references and primary sources.

John Heard (Author)

9781107124134, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 April 2019

276 pages, 12 b/w illus. 1 colour illus. 1 table
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.6 cm, 0.59 kg

'Anyone who is interested in British mathematics will need it. The researcher will see it as valuable contribution. Written by a historian of science, to each chapter is attached a series of meticulous notes with details of sources, a list unavailable elsewhere.' Tony Crilly, The Mathematical Gazette

With a few notable exceptions, pure mathematics in Britain at the beginning of the nineteenth century was mainly a recreation for amateurs. Drawing on primary sources, John Heard provides an engaging account of the process by which it rose to become an academic discipline of repute which by the First World War was led by G. H. Hardy, and supported by the internationally-respected London Mathematical Society. In chronicling that rise, this book describes key contributions and the social environment in which mathematicians operated, using contemporary commentary where appropriate. No mathematical knowledge is required, and readers with a wide range of interests and backgrounds will find much to enjoy here. The material is presented from an impartial point of view, and provides full references to help any researchers who want to dig deeper into the original sources. The result is a unique insight into the world of Victorian mathematics and science.

Acknowledgements
Notes for the reader
1. Setting the scene
2. The legacy of Newton
3. The London Mathematical Society
4. The pure mathematician as hero
5. Mathematicians in an aethereal world
6. Apologias for pure mathematicians
7. Embracing beauty
8. Epilogue
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX], History of mathematics [PBX]