The Selected Works of David Eugene Smith
Edited by Tristan Abbey
Foreword by Francis Su
Description
A beautiful collection of insightful writings on the union of poetry and mathematics—by one of the most accomplished polymaths in American history
PRAISE FOR DAVID EUGENE SMITH
“The Great Mathematical Humanist” — Science
“The Master Mind” — Mathematics Teacher
“The High Priest in the Mathematical Sanctuary” — Journal of Education
David Eugene Smith is one of the most interesting people you’ve never heard of. Born in a small town in New York on the eve of the American Civil War, he learned Latin and Greek from his mother, who passed away when he was young. At a time when few could afford to travel long distances, Smith crossed the Atlantic Ocean more than fifty times and visited more than seventy countries. He donated more than ten thousand collected manuscripts and artifacts to Columbia University.
Trained as an art historian but employed as a lawyer, Smith answered the emergency call from his hometown school to teach mathematics as a substitute teacher. He never looked back. No individual left a stronger mark on American mathematics education. His body of work encompasses hundreds of textbooks, essays, and children’s books, alongside a two-volume history of mathematics. He trained a generation of teachers and, indirectly, thousands of students. Smith was one of the first presidents of the Mathematical Association of America, a co-founder of the History of Science Society, and chair of the mathematics department at Columbia University’s Teachers College
Aside from his achievements in mathematics, Smith earned royal honors from the Shah of Persia for his work on Omar Khayyam, produced one of the first educational movies ever made, and published several short stories (focused on business and economics) and dramatic plays. While traveling the world, he mailed some two thousand postcards to his family—often including original poetry—some of which are published here for the first time.
Beautifully illustrated and featuring a new foreword by Francis Su, In the Shadows of the Palms introduces Smith’s impressive work to a wider audience interested in the beauty of mathematics. This new collection includes fifty abridged selections from his vast body of work, annotated for the first time for a modern audience. Join Smith as he tours the transcendent—all that is True, Beautiful, and Good—through the eyes of a mathematician, a poet, and a true “citizen of the world” in the finest sense of the term.
Details
Pages: 168
Publisher: Science Venerable Press
Publication Date: December 2022
Trim Size: 7.0 x 10.0 in
ISBN: 978-1959976004
Author Bio
David Eugene Smith (1860-1944) served as President of the Mathematical Association of America and founded the History of Science Society. He authored hundreds of textbooks, monographs, essays, children’s books, plays, and economics fiction. Among his many works are Mathematica Gothica, Rara Arithmetica, and the two-volume History of Mathematics.
