[Eng] Peter Singer: “Fermat’s Last Theorem—A Mystery That Puzzled the Wise of the World for 358 Years,” translated by Xue Mi, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, February 1998

[English] Peter Singer: “Fermat’s Last Theorem—A Mystery That Puzzled the Wise of the World for 358 Years,” translated by Xue Mi, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, February 1998

I don’t really have much time to read light books, but just then I happened to be back in Shanghai and saw this book on the bookshelf. I picked it up for a quick look, and then I simply couldn’t put it down; I had to read it straight through in one go. 

It was absolutely wonderful. Although I had already learned something about the history surrounding Fermat’s Last Theorem through other reading, this book is a thematic treatment. It is very well written and very accessible. Of course, more importantly, the history of Fermat’s Last Theorem itself is just so thrilling! 

Perhaps this kind of book is not suitable for amateur would-be scientists, but if one can savor it carefully rather than understand it superficially, then amateur would-be scientists ought to read such books too. If you can’t make sense of professional mathematics books, why not read more history of mathematics?
I have to rush to catch a train..
April 9, 2006

Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.