Since many excellent treatises on the history of mathemat￾ics are available, there may seem little reason for writing
still another. But most current works are severely techni￾cal, written by mathematicians for other mathematicians
or for historians of science. Despite the admirable schol￾arship and often clear presentation of these works, they are not especially well adapted
to the undergraduate classroom. (Perhaps the most notable exception is Howard Eves’s
popular account, An Introduction to the History of Mathematics.) There seems to be room
at this time for a textbook of tolerable length and balance addressed to the undergraduate
student, which at the same time is accessible to the general reader interested in the history
of mathematics.