William Dunham

I thought I wouldn't learn anything new about the Lincoln assassination, since I have read a lot on the subject and watched quite a few documentaries...but Bill fooled me. I did learn some new things, and was riveted by the tale as if I had not heard it ever before.
I was interested in his take on both Mary Surratt and Dr. Mudd, since I have visited both their homes and you get a different leaning on their parts there.
Overall a pleasing experience. I am anxious to read "Killing Kennedy", since I was alive for that event and remember it well.… (meer)

This is a brilliant intellectual journey through some of the great theorems of mathematics. The author writes very clearly and evocatively--then, there is the math. I am not a mathematician, and I frequently get lost in the rows after rows of numbers that go into the proofs of each theorem. Still, through Dunham's excellent explanations, I am able at least to grasp the gist of what is being said and to understand the intellectual achievement involved. I learned a lot reading this book about the beauty of mathematics and how geniuses--because that is the apt word here--have unraveled some of its mysteries over the centuries. This is not a long book, and while the math can be dense, and the ideas themselves may verge on giving you a headache as you struggle to understand them, the journey through genius (great title) is actually a very pleasant one for anyone with a bit of curiosity about a subject they may feel they don't understand well enough. This book will certainly increase your understanding of mathematics a bit--but it will increase your understanding and appreciation of mathematicians a LOT.… (meer)