A Quick History of Maths: From Counting Cavemen to Big Data - Clive Gifford - ★★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Clive Gifford
ILLUSTRATOR: Michael Young
GENRE: Children's Nonfiction
PUBLICATION DATE: April 6th 2021
RATING: 4.75 stars.


Maths and humour – not two words you would hear in the same sentence. So when you have a book that presents an interesting history of mathematics in a humorous way, that book deserves special attention.

This book covers the entire development of math in all its forms. How did math become the math we know today? Starting from simple counting to digits to theorems to concepts to complex calculations to the future plausible theories, the book takes its step by step on an insightful journey into mathematics. The best part? It accomplishes this task with a whole lot of humour. The illustrations are hilarious and help in keeping the fun element alive till the very end.

This book will be wonderful for anyone who is scared of maths or wants to know the purpose of maths or understand the impact it has had on modern lives. The book was slightly reminiscent of What's Math All About? by Alex Frith, another book I would recommend to those petrified of the subject. But A Quick History of Maths is simpler, more up-to-date as it is newer and includes the future possibilities too, and targets children more than adults. I had great fun reading this book and would recommend it wholeheartedly.

Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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