[email protected]

In a message dated 11/30/01 10:10:48 AM Mountain Standard Time,
ecsamhill@... writes:


> Can you recommend some enticing math books for an adult dabbler?
>

YES.
Art books on perspective.
Music books on historical musical forms (if you can read music and
musicology; if not, never mind that one).
The history of games. There are some BEAUTIFUL games books out there, with
how-to, and you can figure out why some games last for hundreds of years.
Books on chess or bridge or poker.
Architecture books.
Books on historical architecture--Roman bridges, medieval castles, aquaducts
and water-movement for plumbing and irrigation.
How-to books on electricity or plumbing or house construction or making a
deck or putting in a brick patio.
Any/all of the videos (video first on these, if possible) and books called
Connections, Connections II or The Day the Universe Changed.
Mysteries--like Brother Cadfael or Sherlock Holmes or the Brit-horseracing
guy.
Trivia books like Guiness Book of World Records.
Geography books with maps and stats about population density, religion,
language (native and secondary languages charts are wonderful).
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Lookingglass
Books on landscaping or interior decoration or clothing design.

I think that generally buying "a math book" only reinforces the idea that
math isn't a full infusion of the whole universe, but that it exists in
frightening math books.

Sandra, who does actually own at least a dozen particularly-math books, not
including all of Keith's math and programming stuff.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/30/2001 12:29:16 PM Eastern Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:


> I think that generally buying "a math book" only reinforces the idea that
> math isn't a full infusion of the whole universe, but that it exists in
> frightening math books.
>
>

Speaking of frightening math stuff, my MIL who has her doctrate in Math
Education, subscribes to a Math Magazine!! LOL One day we were over there,
and Lelia and I saw this magazine, and Lelia who just is not into math, was
horrified to see there was such a thing as a "math magazine". It will be
interesting to see how she and FIL (who has doctrate in HIstroy Education and
40 plus years as teacher) react with Quinton being unschooled. Lelia is their
grandaughter by adoption and was already being unschooled when they met. . .
I am thinking Quinton will be a different story. FIL has offered several
times to "teach" Lelia history. Ah well, I'm sure I will be asking for advice
from all of you then! :)

lovemary


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Elizabeth Hill

SandraDodd@... wrote:

> In a message dated 11/30/01 10:10:48 AM Mountain Standard Time,
> ecsamhill@... writes:
>
>
> > Can you recommend some enticing math books for an adult dabbler?
> >
>
> YES.
> Art books on perspective.
> Music books on historical musical forms (if you can read music and
> musicology; if not, never mind that one).
> The history of games. There are some BEAUTIFUL games books out there,
> with
> how-to, and you can figure out why some games last for hundreds of
> years.
> Books on chess or bridge or poker.
> Architecture books.
> Books on historical architecture--Roman bridges, medieval castles,
> aquaducts
> and water-movement for plumbing and irrigation.
> How-to books on electricity or plumbing or house construction or
> making a
> deck or putting in a brick patio.

Ahhhhh. I really like the idea of math made concrete and beautiful,
rather than abstract and ethereal.

I've seen the "perspective" episode of Connections, and it was really
cool. I should shake it loose from the library and watch it again.
(Perfect timing, as our Connections book has disappeared and we have not
been able to hunt it up!

Betsy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]