By David Berlinski
Pantheon, $24.95, 210 pages

David Berlinski clearly loves mathematics in One, Two, Three: Absolutely Elementary Mathematics.  He explains the history of numbers and how the use of numbers has evolved. He interweaves stories and how numbers played a role from sheepherders to 19th century mathematicians. And who knew how confusing the number zero has been throughout the years?! Although a fascinating history of numbers, the reviewer was hoping more for a true reference of math to use with her children. One, Two, Three is much more a diatribe of the historical situations and significance of numbers. If you are interested in finding out more about how numbers and math evolved, this book is for you.

Reviewed by Seniye Groff

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