The most recommended math books

Who picked these books? Meet our 228 experts.

228 authors created a book list connected to math, and here are their favorite math books.
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Book cover of Cornell University, Cornell Studies in Classical Philology, No. III. The Cult of Asklepios

Carolyn Mathews Author Of Temple of Dreams: A Novel of Now and Then

From my list on dreams and dreaming.

Why am I passionate about this?

As I’ve grown older I’ve become more and more interested in the spiritual aspect of life, believing that we are primarily a soul with a body rather than the other way round. I fell into teaching but have always found more fulfilment in extramural activities like learning about complementary therapies, former lives, and ancient spiritual practices, like dream therapy. I've never been sure which genre my novels fit into, just that they all have elements of romance, mystery, misdeeds, and good deeds, with the purpose of touching the reader’s soul. I believe words can be spells and inspired writing can cast magic.

Carolyn's book list on dreams and dreaming

Carolyn Mathews Why did Carolyn love this book?

When I was researching my own book I had a bit of difficulty finding more detailed information on the Asklepions (Asklepiea)—healing sanctuaries named after Asklepios, Greek god of medicine. So I was overjoyed to come across this book, which satisfactorily fleshed out the information I already had. The practice I was interested in was known as dream incubation, or temple sleep. The patients slept in the temple with the specific intention of experiencing a healing dream, the cure effected by awakening a healing instinct in the sleepers themselves. Dogs and serpents roamed the temple floor where the sleepers lay, the dogs even licking the patients’ wounds. I’ve included this book for anyone interested in this practice which is still discussed today, especially in the field of Hypnotherapy.

By Alice Walton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cornell University, Cornell Studies in Classical Philology, No. III. The Cult of Asklepios as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

About the Book

Texts dealing with language study are designed to facilitate the learning (or teaching) of a first or second language. Language skills include speaking, public speaking, reading, writing, translating and interpreting. Also in this Book

Professional writing is any form of written communication produced in a workplace environment or context. Professional writing involves the use of precise language to convey information in a manner that is easily understood by the intended audience. In general, professional writing is aimed at informing, persuading, instructing, stimulating debate, or encouraging action of some kind. The range of professional writing includes journalism, marketing,…


Book cover of Repeated Games and Reputations: Long-Run Relationships

Guilherme Carmona Author Of Existence And Stability Of Nash Equilibrium

From my list on game theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up listening and participating in discussions about politics. These discussions often ended up on Economics – after all, “it’s the economy, stupid!”. Game theory, by being very broad and focused on strategic interactions, served as a very rewarding unifying apparatus for my understanding of Economics. It is also very beautiful and elegant, combining the austere beauty of pure mathematics with insights from elegant literature – I was pleased to cite Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana in a recent paper. It has accompanied me in a 20-year career since my PhD in Economics at the University of Minnesota to my current professorship in Economics at the University of Surrey.

Guilherme's book list on game theory

Guilherme Carmona Why did Guilherme love this book?

Game theory has specialized in several topics; one of my favorites and one of the most important ones is repeated games since they describe and analyze the sort of ongoing relationships that most of us experience.

This book has it all: great examples and motivation, detailed and formal presentation of a very broad set of results. 

By George J. Mailath, Larry Samuelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Repeated Games and Reputations as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Personalized and continuing relationships play a central role in any society. Economists have built upon the theories of repeated games and reputations to make important advances in understanding such relationships. Repeated Games and Reputations begins with a careful development of the fundamental concepts in these theories, including the notions of a repeated game, strategy, and equilibrium. Mailath and Samuelson then present the classic folk theorem and
reputation results for games of perfect and imperfect public monitoring, with the benefit of the modern analytical tools of decomposability and self-generation. They also present more recent developments, including results beyond folk theorems and…


Book cover of Essential Poker Math, Expanded Edition: Fundamental No Limit Hold'em Mathematics You Need To Know

Jared Tendler Author Of The Mental Game of Poker: Proven Strategies for Improving Tilt Control, Confidence, Motivation, Coping with Variance, and More

From my list on poker that every player needs to read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a leading expert in how your mental game impacts performance. For over a decade I’ve coached hundreds of poker players, including some of the best players in the world. My clients include numerous bracelet winners at the World Series of Poker, and winners of other major titles. I have a passion for helping players become great, and many of them have climbed the ranks to become among of the best in the world. Whatever you aspire to in poker, whether it’s making some money off your friends or competing in the WSOP, be sure to pick up the books I’ve recommended—they can make a big difference! 

Jared's book list on poker that every player needs to read

Jared Tendler Why did Jared love this book?

This book is one of the best-selling poker books of the modern era despite the author not being a household name. It is a brilliant and dense primer on poker math with the amateur in mind. Other poker math books have arguably been written with a more expert tone, but this one is ideal for a beginner.

By Alton Hardin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Essential Poker Math, Expanded Edition as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Expanded, Updated & Greatly Improved

New Expanded Edition Includes:

More Than 150 Pages of New Material with Greatly Expanded Content and 4 New Chapters Over 75 Carefully Devised Practice and Example Poker Hands That Are Analyzed in Great Detail Free Enrollment into My 10-Hour Essential Poker Math eLearning Online Video Training Course Poker Math Is Easy to LearnPoker math is a vitally important aspect of No Limit Hold’em poker. But, it's often overlooked or simply not used because many poker players fear it is too difficult to learn. I'm here to tell you it’s not. In fact, fundamental poker math…


Book cover of Exploring the Invisible: Art, Science, and the Spiritual

Charlene Spretnak Author Of The Spiritual Dynamic in Modern Art: Art History Reconsidered, 1800 to the Present

From my list on the spiritual dimension of modern art.

Why am I passionate about this?

Having written several books on cultural history, I was puzzled in the late 1990s by the insistence of most American curators, art historians, and gallerists that there could not possibly be any spiritual content in modern art because the modern project (beginning, they assert, with the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874) was all about the rejection of tradition, religion, etc. This overarching narrative has dominated the professional art world since World War II. I knew it was false because I was aware that many prominent modern artists had spiritual interests, which were expressed in their art. So began a 17-year-long research quest focused on what the artists themselves had said.

Charlene's book list on the spiritual dimension of modern art

Charlene Spretnak Why did Charlene love this book?

The Romantic painters of the early 19th century were intrigued with notions of the sublime, the Absolute, and the unity and divinity of all nature. After the mid-1880s the focus of the avant-garde painters became energized by the quest to escape the bounds of “materialism” (an umbrella term by which they meant positivism, the mechanistic worldview of Newtonian physics, as well as the destructive effects of industrialism). Lynn Gamwell illuminates the fascination many of the modern artists felt for various scientific discoveries in various decades. For instance, the first exhibition of x-rays by the Berlin Physical Society in 1896 was hailed by the artists as proof that an invisible structure underlies every surface, just as Theosophy asserts! Exploring the Invisible is subtle, thorough, and insightful engagement with this rich interplay.

By Lynn Gamwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Exploring the Invisible as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How science changed the way artists understand reality

Exploring the Invisible shows how modern art expresses the first secular, scientific worldview in human history. Now fully revised and expanded, this richly illustrated book describes two hundred years of scientific discoveries that inspired French Impressionist painters and Art Nouveau architects, as well as Surrealists in Europe, Latin America, and Japan.

Lynn Gamwell describes how the microscope and telescope expanded the artist's vision into realms unseen by the naked eye. In the nineteenth century, a strange and exciting world came into focus, one of microorganisms in a drop of water and spiral…


Book cover of Handbook on Population

Samuel J. Alibrando Author Of Nature Never Stops Talking: The Wonderful Ingenuity of Nature

From my list on that have changed my thinking permanently.

Why am I passionate about this?

My books are non-fiction. However, the best stories are always how a character really changes. These books brought permanent change to me. One important value I see evaporating in this world is the ability to ask honest questions and the courage to willingly follow the evidence. I try to give readers a fresh and inspiring look at things like never before. Similarly, with every book recommendation, each author brought me a new perspective and added unexpected formats for learning. My advice is if you want to specialize in something, pursue diversified learning to maintain solid footing instead of specializing yourself into some specialized niche. Never lose your curiosity. 

Samuel's book list on that have changed my thinking permanently

Samuel J. Alibrando Why did Samuel love this book?

I came across this, now out of print, booklet as a 19-year-old who could not believe the majority of the planet would believe something incorrect. This guy was a lone voice against the tide of overpopulation panic. 

The information he provided was easily confirmed with math or encyclopedia references. It is completely a Q&A format. Very strange, at first. It was as if he expected me, the reader, to reach my own conclusions based on the information alone. That was new for me. He did not coax me or summarize his conclusion. This influenced my writing style for life. It respects the reader as having a mind of his own.

The 2nd most impacting part about this was ultimately, that yes, the whole world could literally be wrong. Shocking!

By Robert L Sassone,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Handbook on Population as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Game Theory

Guilherme Carmona Author Of Existence And Stability Of Nash Equilibrium

From my list on game theory.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up listening and participating in discussions about politics. These discussions often ended up on Economics – after all, “it’s the economy, stupid!”. Game theory, by being very broad and focused on strategic interactions, served as a very rewarding unifying apparatus for my understanding of Economics. It is also very beautiful and elegant, combining the austere beauty of pure mathematics with insights from elegant literature – I was pleased to cite Graham Green’s Our Man in Havana in a recent paper. It has accompanied me in a 20-year career since my PhD in Economics at the University of Minnesota to my current professorship in Economics at the University of Surrey.

Guilherme's book list on game theory

Guilherme Carmona Why did Guilherme love this book?

This book is a great advanced textbook on game theory by two leading researchers on the field.

It describes the core elements of game theory in a formal and clear way, it has everything you want to know about it. It is the reference for those who want to learn game theory at an advanced level. 

By Drew Fudenberg, Jean Tirole,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Game Theory as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This advanced text introduces the principles of noncooperative game theory in a direct and uncomplicated style that will acquaint students with the broad spectrum of the field while highlighting and explaining what they need to know at any given point.

This advanced text introduces the principles of noncooperative game theory—including strategic form games, Nash equilibria, subgame perfection, repeated games, and games of incomplete information—in a direct and uncomplicated style that will acquaint students with the broad spectrum of the field while highlighting and explaining what they need to know at any given point. The analytic material is accompanied by many…


Book cover of Gratitude

Denise Kiernan Author Of We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from Then to Now

From my list on gratitude making every day feel like Thanksgiving.

Why am I passionate about this?

Denise Kiernan is a multiple New York Times bestselling author of narrative nonfiction books including The Girls of Atomic City, the Last Castle, and We Gather Together. Throughout her career as a journalist and an author, she has explored underrepresented stories and characters and the impact they have had on history. These stories of the unsung offer fresh perspectives on historical tales we think we already know. At the heart of many of Kiernan’s nonfiction explorations are women from a variety of different backgrounds and time periods. She has devoted her last three books to the history of Thanksgiving and gratitude, writing separate books for all ages.

Denise's book list on gratitude making every day feel like Thanksgiving

Denise Kiernan Why did Denise love this book?

The late Oliver Sacks was a neurologist who wrote eloquently about medical topics until he was taken from us by cancer in 2015.

Before he died, he wrote four lovely essays talking about his illness, and the great privilege of being human. Sacks was one of our greatest writers, thoughtful and incisive. Because he was dying as he wrote this, you may wish to wait to digest this book if you have recently experienced the loss of a loved one, and come back to it when you’re in a better place.

By Oliver Sacks,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Gratitude as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Oliver Sacks died in August 2015 at his home in Greenwich Village, surrounded by his close friends and family. He was 82. He spent his final days doing what he loved: playing the piano, swimming, enjoying smoked salmon - and writing . . .

As Dr Sacks looked back over his long, adventurous life his final thoughts were of gratitude. In a series of remarkable, beautifully written and uplifting meditations, in Gratitude Dr Sacks reflects on and gives thanks for a life well lived, and expresses his thoughts on growing old, facing terminal cancer and reaching the end.

I cannot…


Book cover of Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics' Deepest Truths

Jo Boaler Author Of Math-ish: Finding Creativity, Diversity, and Meaning in Mathematics

From my list on women rocking math and science.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a British writer, (though I now live and work in California) and a Stanford professor who is passionate about helping everyone know they have endless potential and that math is a subject of creativity, connections, and beautiful ideas. I spend time battling against math elitism, systemic racism, and the other barriers that have stopped women and people of color from going forward in STEM. I am the cofounder of youcubed, a site that inspires millions of educators and their students, with creative mathematics and mindset messages. I've also made a math app, designed to help students feel good about struggling, called Struggly.com. I love to write books that help people develop their mathematical superpowers!

Jo's book list on women rocking math and science

Jo Boaler Why did Jo love this book?

I love all of Eugenia’s books, she is a cool mathematician working to educate the public about real mathematics – a subject of deep explorations and connected ideas.

Eugenia shares the creativity in mathematics, and the importance of pushing against boundaries, including the gender boundaries that often stop girls and women going forward in STEM. Her playful use of mathematical ideas to disrupt the myths of narrow and inequitable mathematics and the dominance of men in the field, is so fascinating, especially for those of us perturbed by the inequities in STEM.

This is a great book for those who would like to love mathematics a little more than they do now.

By Eugenia Cheng,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics' Deepest Truths as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the world’s most creative mathematicians offers a new way to look at math—focusing on questions, not answers 

Where do we learn math: From rules in a textbook? From logic and deduction? Not really, according to mathematician Eugenia Cheng: we learn it from human curiosity—most importantly, from asking questions. This may come as a surprise to those who think that math is about finding the one right answer, or those who were told that the “dumb” question they asked just proved they were bad at math. But Cheng shows why people who ask questions like “Why does 1 +…


Book cover of The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, in Politics, and in Life

Tim Harford Author Of The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics

From my list on think clearly about data.

Why am I passionate about this?

Tim Harford is the author of nine books, including The Undercover Economist and The Data Detective, and the host of the Cautionary Tales podcast. He presents the BBC Radio programs More or Less, Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy, and How To Vaccinate The World. Tim is a senior columnist for the Financial Times, a member of Nuffield College, Oxford, and the only journalist to have been made an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.

Tim's book list on think clearly about data

Tim Harford Why did Tim love this book?

I should declare an interest here: I present a BBC Radio show that Blastland and Dilnot created. This book was effectively my “how to” manual on the way into the studio that they had vacated. It’s a wise and varied guide to the power and the pitfalls of data, poetically written and full of subtle wisdoms.

By Andrew Dilnot, Michael Blastland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Numbers Game as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Strunk and White of statistics team up to help the average person navigate the numbers in the news

Drawing on their hugely popular BBC Radio 4 show More or Less, journalist Michael Blastland and internationally known economist Andrew Dilnot delight, amuse, and convert American mathphobes by showing how our everyday experiences make sense of numbers.

The radical premise of The Numbers Game is to show how much we already know and give practical ways to use our knowledge to become cannier consumers of the media. If you've ever wondered what "average" really means, whether the scare stories about cancer…


Book cover of How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers

Jennifer L. Castle Author Of Modelling our Changing World

From Jennifer's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Econometrician Climate Change researcher Forecaster Data fan Country walker

Jennifer's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Jennifer L. Castle Why did Jennifer love this book?

I’m an avid fan of `More or Less,’ so this book was at the top of my list of must-reads, and I was not disappointed.

Common sense thinking seeps in by way of fascinating stories and interesting titbits. Fast-paced, light-hearted, and thought-provoking, Tim Harford does not disappoint with this book. 

By Tim Harford,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked How to Make the World Add Up as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Sunday Times Bestseller

'Tim Harford is one of my favourite writers in the world. His storytelling is gripping but never overdone, his intellectual honesty is rare and inspiring, and his ability to make complex things simple - but not simplistic - is exceptional. How to Make the World Add Up is another one of his gems. If you're looking for an addictive pageturner that will make you smarter, this is your book' Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind

'Tim Harford could well be Britain's Malcolm Gladwell'
Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland

'If you aren't in love with…