Mathematics has a long history, yet it is forever new. The concepts, theories, theorems, and conjectures of the past are the foundation of modern mathematics. This volume serves as a guide to the most important books among the vast mathematical literature of the twentieth century, organized by subject. In doing so, it provides concise summaries of all major subjects in contemporary mathematics.

Unlike other sciences, old mathematical literature has a life of its own because it records not only the background, but also so much of the detailed technical knowledge, for the mathematics of today. This remarkable book is the first one to attempt to analyse the vast literature arising from 20th century mathematics. It lists and comments on a selection of the most influential books written during this time in all of the major fields of mathematics. - John Coates (University of Cambridge)This is a very impressive job for both educators and researchers in mathematics. It collects basically all of the important non-technical books written by great mathematicians. The author also gives insightful comments on these books. This is especially important for those who want to get a global view of mathematics. The author writes with humor and the book is not dry to read. I am amazed by the author's energy in preparing this book. - Shing-Tung Yau (Harvard University)