«In Republic of Numbers, author and alum David Lindsay Roberts weaves eclectic and entertaining stories about math and mathematicians across two centuries of U.S. history . . . Pleasure in math links lives across more than two centuries in Roberts' elegant and eye-opening work of intellectual history. Mathematicians and math teachers will find in it an eclectic family history of their fields, with special attention to lesser-known characters, especially ones whose achievements beat the odds set against their race, sex, or background. But readers not excited by higher math will also enjoy these 20 deeply researched and gracefully narrated biographical essays.
—Rosemary Hutzler Raun, Johns Hopkins University HUB»

«Roberts is to be congratulated for reminding us that the history of mathematics includes those who teach and practice useful mathematics as well as those who create abstract mathematics.
—Scott Guthery, MAA Reviews»

«[Republic of Numbers] is a work of art, in the sense that it feels new and original, and leaves the reader (at least this one) with a bit of awe . . . For anyone interested in the history of American mathematics, this book is a must read . . . The Republic of Numbers offers readers a fascinating and very human journey through a wide swath of history. I'm amazed at what Dave Roberts has been able to pack into a relatively compact book.
—Andrew Perry, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics (CSHPM)»

«Republic of Numbers should appeal to any reader interested in mathematics in its historical and social context.
—Notices of the American Mathematical Society»

«This charming collection of 20 "unexpected stories of mathematical Americans through history" focuses not only on the greatest US mathematical minds . . . Abraham Lincoln, self-trained as a surveyor, later studied Euclid — as demonstrated in his Gettysburg Address, "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal".
—Andrew Robinson, Nature»

«An informative and worthwhile read.
—Wallace A. Ferguson, Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School, Ramsgate, Mathematics Today»

«This collection of brief biographies of two dozen Americans who relate to mathematics in various ways does not claim to present a representative  cross-section or a selection of the most important figures or even the most colorful figures. Each story, however, reveals a unique tie to the history of the country, resulting in a loosely woven national history as seen through a sample of citizens who also reflect something of the progress of American mathematics . . . The emphasis is more on how people came to mathematics and how, native born or immigrant, their lives are connected to the society of their time and sometimes to each other in some remarkable ways.
—Mathematical Reviews»