Number Theory Through the Eyes of Sophie Germain

“Number Theory Through the Eyes of Sophie Germain is simultaneously a masterpiece of historical scholarship, a guide to reading and teaching from primary-source historical documents, an inquiry-based textbook for introductory number theory, and the riveting story of a major, but still unappreciated, mathematician. Work is required of the reader. Readers are carefully guided to discover and prove almost all results for themselves in a sequence of scaffolded exploratory tasks with hints, fully integrated with the narrative. The difficulty of the inquiry tasks varies considerably, but the author provides the reader with appropriately helpful guidance at every step. An introductory number theory course taught with this text would be a remarkable, potentially life-changing, experience.” - Stephen Kennedy, Carleton College and MAA Press

David Pengelley, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.