Al Posamentier, "Math Makers: The Lives and Works of 50 Famous Mathematicians" (Prometheus, 2020)

Euclid's Elements is a foundational work of mathematics, comprising 13 books covering geometry, number theory, and other mathematical concepts. Written around 300 BC, it served as the primary textbook for over two millennia. The book's rigorous approach to proof, based on postulates and axioms, established a standard for mathematical reasoning that persists to this day. Its influence on the development of mathematics is immeasurable, shaping the way mathematicians think about and approach problems. The Elements remains a significant text in the history of mathematics and continues to be studied and appreciated for its clarity and elegance.

Published in 1202, Liber Abaci is a Latin work on arithmetic by Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci. The book is famous for introducing the base-10 positional notation and the symbols known as Arabic numerals in Europe. It is divided into four sections: the first introduces the Hindu-Arabic numeral system and methods for converting between different representation systems; the second presents examples from commerce such as currency conversions and calculations of profit and interest; the third discusses various mathematical problems including the Chinese remainder theorem and the Fibonacci sequence; and the fourth derives approximations of irrational numbers such as square roots. The book played a crucial role in promoting the superiority of the new numeral system among tradesmen and mathematicians.