From the acclaimed writer of A Tour of the Calculus as well as the Advent of the Algorithm, here is a riveting look at mathematics that reveals a hidden world in a few of its most fundamental concepts.

In his latest foray into mathematics, David Berlinski assumes the simplest concerns that may be asked: What is a number? How do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division actually work? What exactly are geometry and reasoning? As he delves into these subjects, he discovers and lucidly represents the beauty and complexity behind their apparently simple exteriors, producing clear how and just why these mercurial, frequently slippery concepts are crucial to who we are.

Filled up with illuminating historical anecdotes and asides on a few of the most interesting mathematicians through the ages, One, Two, 3 is a captivating exploration of the foundation of mathematics: how it originated, who considered it, and just why it matters.