All about a way of explaining, a way of building a system, a way that has been useful for many to follow. Top-down, complete by itself, explaining a system that may or may not exist except as a concept, and that needs no knowledge of the real world in order to do its job. ( )

David Berlinski, a renowned mathematician and philosopher, takes us on a fun but informative tour of Euclid's Elements. It's a joy to read as he explains the logistical building of Euclid's mathematics and makes observations on its current position. It was a deep inquiry that synthesized and refined Euclid, in my opinion. It goes beyond storytelling to demonstrate a way of living and, in a sense, resurrect Euclid. ( )

I liked this book but I need to relearn mathematics (particularly the geometry) to really appreciate this book. Also, the print or ebook format would be more suitable to digest the information. That being said, I am now motivated to reinvigorate my math skills and reread this book! ( )

I listened to this book as a CD while driving to/from work. This did not work well as some of the book refers to diagrams and equations. In spite of that it was an interesting discussion, which bordered on philosophy at times. The author also has an entertaining sense of humor. ( )

A mathman's ode to Euclid of Alexandria's geometry, first presented as an axiomatic system 23 centuries ago in the masterwork called the _Elements_. High-level, enjoyable, and fairly short. Such topics as Hilbert's refurbishment and alternative geometries are covered too. "[Euclid's style] is vital, an ideal, a moral advantage, a corrective to whatever is spongy, soft, indistinct, slovenly, half-hidden, half-formed, half-baked, or only half-right, the mind in full possession of its powers, straight as an arrow, hard as a stone, uncompromising as a bank." (p148-9)