The immortal whimsy of the Alice books are Lewis Carroll's claim to fame. The Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and other products of Carroll's curiouser and curiouser brain are pre-eminent gods in the pantheon of absurdity. Historians of photography remember Carroll too, for his pioneering portraits of children and eminent Victorians. But the Reverend Charles Dodgson-to give Carroll his real name-failed to make a mark in his day-job as a mathematician.rnLike his father before him, Dodgson taught mathematics at Christ Church, Oxford. His professional writings were as playful and eccentric as his light verse and stories, which may be one reason why he is at most a footnote in the history of mathematics. In this little book, Robin Wilson, whose father, Harold, was Britain's prime minister, aims to give an elementary treatment of Dodgson's mathematical work for the general reader.
展开▼
