Mir Publishers Moscow, 1984. - 360 pages.
"In the chapters that follow I will attempt to tell the story of mathematics and weave into an integral whole the various discussions I have had with my non-mathematical friends. This will be a story of mathematics in popular language so that the non-mathematician will see what it is all about. This is not a course in mathematics but merely a series of sketches conceing ideas and methods. There will be no proofs to carry out and no need for paper and pencil. What I want to do is sketch a picture of the development of mathematics and show what mathematicians are presently engaged in — to some extent. It is hardly possible to examine the whole field, but the fragments 1 hope to present will cover a rather wide range of outwardly unrelated mathematical theories and their applications. It is best to read one chapter after another as they occur in the book, since they are all linked together. If some parts are uninteresting, don't throw the book down. Go over the earlier chapters once again. I'm sure you will find something that will hold your attention."
"In the chapters that follow I will attempt to tell the story of mathematics and weave into an integral whole the various discussions I have had with my non-mathematical friends. This will be a story of mathematics in popular language so that the non-mathematician will see what it is all about. This is not a course in mathematics but merely a series of sketches conceing ideas and methods. There will be no proofs to carry out and no need for paper and pencil. What I want to do is sketch a picture of the development of mathematics and show what mathematicians are presently engaged in — to some extent. It is hardly possible to examine the whole field, but the fragments 1 hope to present will cover a rather wide range of outwardly unrelated mathematical theories and their applications. It is best to read one chapter after another as they occur in the book, since they are all linked together. If some parts are uninteresting, don't throw the book down. Go over the earlier chapters once again. I'm sure you will find something that will hold your attention."