This comprehensive guide covers the history and development of mathematics, from the Ancient Egyptians and Pythagoreans to key figures such as Galileo, Dodgson, Babbage and Lovelace through to contemporary work of the 21st century. It tells of the remarkable stories that have shaped mathematics and also features sections on how maths can be used to solve the mysteries of the universe, what the Prisoner's Dilemma is as well as Fermat's Last Theorem amongst many more.Accessible, well-informed and fully-illustrated, this is a book that shows perfectly just how varied and fascinating mathematics is as a subject.