The Princeton Companion to Mathematics
Timothy Gowers, who won the Fields Medal in 1998, edited this thousand-page volume as an attempt to give a coherent map of modern mathematics that a curious reader could navigate without a graduate degree. It opens with essays on what mathematics is, moves through the fundamental objects and structures, then surveys the major branches from algebraic geometry to combinatorics to logic, and closes with short biographies of mathematicians and reflections on the influence of mathematics on other fields. Each entry is written by a specialist and edited for a common voice, and the book has become the standard general reference for undergraduates, graduate students, and technically inclined readers who want to see how the field fits together. It is a book that rewards being kept nearby rather than read cover to cover, and its bibliography alone is a research program.
What you might want to know about The Princeton Companion to Mathematics
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A one-volume tour of modern mathematics, edited by a Fields medalist and written by leading mathematicians for readers who want a coherent map of the field.
Srinivasan has repeatedly cited it as the single best reference for autodidacts trying to build a durable understanding of mathematics, and has recommended it as a starting point for engineers who want to bridge from application to theory.
It is closer to a reference and companion than a textbook. Chapters can be read in any order, and it is designed to be consulted alongside coursework or self-study rather than followed linearly.
The Princeton Companion to Mathematics was written by Timothy Gowers, published in 2008 by Princeton University Press.
The Princeton Companion to Mathematics is 1056 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Princeton Companion to Mathematics takes most readers 16 to 23 hours to finish.
The Princeton Companion to Mathematics is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
