Girolamo Cardano Book order

This cornerstone in the history of mathematics first appeared in 1545 as Artis magnae, sive de regulis algebraicis. A primer on "the great art" of algebra, it contains the first revelation of the principles for solving cubic and biquadratic equations, along with other innovations. Author Girolamo Cardano (1501-76) was famous not only for his prodigious gifts as a mathematician, but also for his skills as a physician, astrologer, and gambler. Cardano's novel approach to the treatment of scientific problems reflects the spirit of his era, the zenith of the Italian Renaissance.Long unavailable, except in rare Latin editions, Cardano's masterpiece is newly accessible in this excellent English translation by T. Richard Witmer. Adapted to modern mathematical syntax, it will appeal to both historians and mathematicians. Oystein Ore, a renowned mathematician and historian of science, provides an informative introduction, and the text is complemented by 26 black-and-white illustrations.

A bright star of the Italian Renaissance, Girolamo Cardano was an internationally-sought-after astrologer, physician, and natural philosopher, a creator of modern algebra, and the inventor of the universal joint. Condemned by the Inquisition to house arrest in his old age, Cardano wrote The Book of My Life , an unvarnished and often outrageous account of his character and conduct. Whether discussing his sex life or his diet, the plots of academic rivals or meetings with supernatural beings, or his deep sorrow when his beloved son was executed for murder, Cardano displays the same unbounded curiosity that made him a scientific pioneer. At once picaresque adventure and campus comedy, curriculum vitae, and last will, The Book of My Life is an extraordinary Renaissance self-portrait—a book to set beside Montaigne's Essays and Benvenuto Cellini's Autobiography .