The Education of T.C. Mits: What modern mathematics means to you

“I have studied with pleasure [this] new book. . . . Beautiful examples. . . . Illuminating. I am convinced that [Lieber’s] original enterprise will get the recognition it so richly deserves.”—Albert Einstein

“This is quite different from any other book. . . . And how is it possible to sandwich into a description of it as full of mathematics and full of humor, the fact that it is also full of a deep, healing philosophy of life, reassuring, strengthening, humane? Yet it is truly all these things.”—Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Book-of-the-Month Club

Whether you are stumped by the “commutative law” in algebra or a whiz at multiplying three-digit numbers in your head, The Education of T.C. Mits—The Celebrated Man In The Street—opens the door to the wonders of mathematical imagining. By using simple language and intriguing illustrations drawn by her husband, Hugh, Lillian Lieber presents subtle mathematical concepts in an easy-to-understand way. More than sixty years after its release, this whimsical exploration of how to think in a mathematical mood will continue to delight math-lovers of all ages. Barry Mazur’s new introduction is a tribute to the Liebers’ influence on generations of mathematicians.

Lillian Lieber wrote a series of lighthearted (and well-respected) math books in the forties, including The Einstein Theory of Relativity, Infinity, and Mits, Wits & Logic.

Barry Mazur is the author of Imagining Numbers (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003). He has won numerous prizes in his field, including the Veblen Prize, Cole Prize, Steele Prize, and Chauvenet Prize.