"Alexander tells this story of intellectual strife with the high drama and thrilling tension it deserves, weaving a history of mathematics through the social and religious upheavals that marked much of the era . . .The author navigates even the most abstract mathematical concepts as deftly as he does the layered social history, and the result is a book about math that is actually fun to read. A fast-paced history of the singular idea that shaped a multitude of modern achievements."--"Kirkus "(starred review) "[Infinitesimal] gives readers insight into a real-world Da Vinci Code-like intrigue with this look at the history of a simple, yet pivotal, mathematical concept . . . Alexander explores [a] war of ideas in the context of a world seething with political and social unrest. This in-depth history offers a unique view into the mathematical idea that became the foundation of our open, modern world."--"Publishers Weekly""A gripping account of the power of a mathematical idea to change the world. Amir Alexander writes with elegance and verve about how passion, politics, and the pursuit of knowledge collided in the arena of mathematics to shape the face of modernity. A page-turner full of fascinating stories about remarkable individuals and ideas, Infinitesimal will help you understand the world at a deeper level."--Edward Frenkel, Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Love and Math"In this fascinating book, Amir Alexander vividly re-creates a wonderfully strange chapter of scientific history, when fine-grained arguments about the foundations of mathematical analysis were literally matters of life and death, and fanatical Jesuits and English philosophers battled over the nature of geometry, with the fate of their societies hanging inthe balance. You will never look at calculus the same way again."--Jordan Ellenberg, Professor of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of How Not t

Amir Alexander teaches history at UCLA. He is the author of "Geometrical Landscapes "and "Duel at Dawn." His work has been featured in "Nature," "The Guardian," and other publications. He lives in Los Angeles, California.