Gunpowder and Geometry

Praise for Gunpowder and Geometry

‘Benjamin Wardhaugh tells an almost incredible story of a boy working down the put hewing coal who went on to become a great mathmatician and national celebrity. He brings both the coal industry and Georgian London to life with style and wit.’ Matt Ridley

Praise for Benjamin Wardhaugh:

‘Wardhaugh has done a brilliant job in revealing a most curious period in British life’ Steve Craggs, Northern Echo

‘Mathematics remains a bedrock of our society. This wonderful book goes a long way in highlighting why.’ Jamie Condliffe, New Scientist

‘Wardhaugh’s fascinating account of Poor Robin’s Almanac persuasively reveals the power of the almanac to give mathematics a human face.’ Marcus du Sautoy

‘Wardhaugh’s book should be readily available and kept with your personal reference books. It should also be in your school library.’ Donald Cook, Mathematical Review

Benjamin Wardhaugh is a Fifty-pound Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. His research focuses on the history of numeracy and mathematics, and the ways mathematics influences and is a part of cultures. His work focuses mainly on topics in early modern Britain, including mathematical music theory in that period. He has taught in both the Mathematical Institute and the History Faculty. He is the author of several previous educational books.