The Big Book of Pi
The Famous Number You Can Never Know
$66.02
- Hardcover
88 pages
- Release Date
12 May 2026
Summary
A mathe-magician explores what makes Pi so intriguing, so unknowable and so very important to our lives.
For millennia, humans have been obsessed with the number Pi. We needed it for architecture, geometry and astronomy, and so it was sought by the ancient Egyptians, the Mayans and the ancient Chinese. But no one has ever found it and no one ever will because Pi is infinite and irrational. Its decimals contain the birthdates of all the children who have ever lived, every piece of musi…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9783039640898 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 3039640895 |
| Author: | Jean-Baptiste Aubin, Anita Lehmann, Joonas Sildre |
| Publisher: | Helvetiq |
| Imprint: | Helvetiq |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 88 |
| Release Date: | 12 May 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 266mm x 209mm |
What They're Saying
Critics Review
★ “An astonishing, delightful, and illuminating celebration of mathe-magics.” – Kirkus (STARRED review)
★ “This fun, informative, and highly visual title is a unique addition that belongs on the “M” shelf in all STEM collections.” – Booklist (STARRED review)
“Explore the fascinating world of Pi! Part humor and part science, this book takes you on a playful journey through the astonishing history of this unique number.” – Hugo Duminil-Copin, Winner of the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics
“The book is loaded with colorful illustrations and diagrams to help readers understand Pi. The diagrams are helpful when explaining strategies and applying them to solve problems. Definitions of mathematical terms are found at the bottom of the pages where they’re used and at the back of the book” - YA Books Central
“Fun illustrations encourage kids to think and ask questions, math history is delivered in a lively format that personalizes the tale of discovery, and how Pi was made irrational receives embellishments that will delight many an adult as well as its intended picture book audience.” - Donovan’s Literary Services
“This book takes a fun look at the math behind Pi and the history of mathematicians who first discovered the many decimal points of this amazing number! It’s explained in a simple way for children to understand, and written with a lot of cute jokes and witty anecdotes to keep readers engaged.” - Luminous Libro
“90 pages about one number? This book about Pi is a perfect hit.” –Die Zeit“Now that’s some next level nerdery!” - Besty Bird, A Fuse #8 Production
“This comprehensive and in-depth investigation of pi is a useful addition to nonfiction collections for math enthusiasts from elementary school students to adults.” - Mary Lanni Reads
“This is a lovely book about math, numbers, how they shape the world around us, and weird questions only weird mathe-magicians might ask!” - GeekDad
“If any nonfiction picture book can attract kids to math through engaging imaginations, it’s The Big Book of Pi” - The Midwest Book Review, Children’s Bookwatch
“The proofs behind historic examples cited and a glossary round out this very entertaining look at Pi and its never-ending digits.” - BooksYALove
Winner of the “Prix Tangente du Livre 2026” in France.
About The Author
Jean-Baptiste Aubin
Jean-Baptiste Aubin is a teacher and researcher in statistics at the University of Lyon. To share his passion for mathematics with non-mathematicians, he writes books and scripts for television, organizes lectures, exhibitions and even magic shows. He lives in Villeurbanne.
Anita Lehmann is an author for children and adults alike. She grew up in Bern, studied economics and social history at the University of Geneva and lived in various places around the world before settling in Cambridge with her family. She is the author of several children’s books.
Joonas Sildre has illustrated more than thirty books and graphic novels. He lives in Estonia.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.