Oxton House Publishers, LLC
2007 Beckenbach Book Prize
Washington, D.C., January 7, 2007 -- The Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
announced today that William P. Berlinghoff and Fernando Gouvêa have received the
prestigious BECKENBACH BOOK PRIZE at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in New Orleans,
Louisiana. The prize, established in 1986, is named for the late Edwin Beckenbach,
a well-known professor of mathematics at UCLA. The award is not given on a regularly
scheduled basis, but is given only when a book appears that is judged to be truly
outstanding.
--- NEWS RELEASE ---
Citation
William P. Berlinghoff and Fernando Q. Gouvêa
Math through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others, The Mathematical
Association of America & Oxton House Publishers, 2004.
Math Through The Ages, A Gentle History for Teachers and Others consists of twenty-five
short historical sketches of important topics in general mathematics and a 54-page
mathematical “history in a large nutshell.” The graceful writing in William P. Berlinghoff
and Fernando Q. Gouvêa’s short expanded edition has the great advantage of being
appealingly readable to a wide audience ranging from secondary school and liberal
arts students through the mathematical community’s educators and practitioners. For
each of the important concepts it treats, a carefully chosen sketch concisely brings
together in a single unified chapter its many centuries of development. Selections
begin with the development of notation and numerical concepts, continuing on through
modern topics such as set theory, game theory, statistics, and computing. Its careful
organization succinctly brings together historical concepts that a teacher would
most need to know and that a student would most likely want to pursue further. Along
with the thoughtful inclusion of cross references, accessible exercises and student
projects, the book concludes with a valuable discussion of historical books and websites
for further reading, concluding an extensive bibliography. The beautiful writing
makes it difficult for a reader to put the book down, and it is inviting to jump
from one historical sketch to another. The Beckenbach Book Prize Committee recommends
that the MAA commend the authors and the joint publisher (Oxton House Publishers)
for this enjoyable and useful book.
The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is the world’s largest professional
society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level. The MAA
has 27,000 members who participate in a variety of activities that foster mathematics
education, professional development, student involvement, and public policy. MAA’s
national focus is complemented by its 29 regional sections—together functioning as
an extensive network for the mathematics community.
© 2006 Oxton House Publishers, LLC
Original Edition
paperback
$21.95
Expanded Edition
hardbound
$49.95
2007
Beckenbach
Book Prize,
MAA
