Taming the Unknown: A History of Algebra from Antiquity to the Early Twentieth Century

Taming the Unknown follows algebra’s growth around the world in different historical periods. Katz and Parshall trace the development of algebra, defined originally as a collection of techniques for determining unknowns, from its geometric beginnings in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and classical Greece to its present abstract form. Katz is a professor of mathematics emeritus at the University of the District of Columbia.