Review by Choice Review
A great deal of mythology has grown up around the priority dispute between Newton and Leibniz over the discovery of the calculus. In spite of this struggle, the 18th century saw tremendous progress in mathematics, best known in the work of the Bernoullis and Euler. The focus of this book is the development in Britain during this crucial period after Newton. His fluxional methods were mired in a morass of clumsy notation and shoddy foundations that immediately came under scrutiny by serious mathematicians. Unencumbered by these problems, Continental mathematicians were able to make easier progress, while British mathematicians worked against the myth of the all-seeing Newton who left little for those following to do, against an educational system defending the great man, and against isolation from Continental contemporaries. Guicciardini reconstructs the period through its textbooks, published papers and letters, and the key players at the universities. His research reveals a strong community that pushed the fluxional methods to new and important results and, when faced with the crisis in foundations and faster developments abroad, sought the reforms that would revitalize mathematics in Britain. This is a serious and well-researched contribution to our understanding of this period of mathematical history and it is a welcome addition to the undergraduate library. -J. McCleary, Vassar College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
