Mathematics and the Imagination. by KASNER, Edward, & James Newman - 1940: With Drawings and Diagrams by Rufus Isaacs.

New York: Simon and Schuster,, 1940. The science that uses easy words for hard ideas First edition, first printing, of this classic work which introduced and popularized the word "googol", coined by Kasner's nephew. It became a best-seller due to its elegant and witty explanations of complex mathematical concepts to nontechnical readers. Kasner (1878-1955) was an American mathematician who specialized in differential geometry. Newman (1907-1966), Kasner's former student at Columbia, was a mathematical historian and lawyer. In this work, they prove the mathematical concepts of two large but finite numbers, the "googol" and the "googolplex", the former written in decimal notation with one hundred zeros, the latter with a googol of zeroes. They also discuss diverse topics such as mathematical history, infinite sets, compound interest, and four-dimensional space, referencing mathematical literary works ranging from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland to Edward A. Abbot's Flatland. "The book is at once a collection of mathematical puzzles and surprises, a pleasantly written history of mathematical thought, and a real attempt to bring before the interested but unprofessional reader the characteristic findings of mathematicians" (Turnbull, pp. 199-200). The work is engagingly illustrated by Isaacs (1914-1981), also a student of Kasner's, who is known for his work on game theory. Octavo. Original red cloth, spine lettered in gilt and front cover stamped in gilt, top edge dark blue. With dust jacket. Numerous diagrams and illustrations within text. Ink ownership signature dated 1940 of Truman Post Young, either Sr (1877-1942) or Jr (1924-2010) of Missouri and Colorado respectively, on front free endpaper. Spine ends bumped, gilt a little rubbed, cloth and contents bright; jacket extremities chipped, flaps lightly foxed, unclipped: a near-fine copy in very good jacket. H. W. Turnbull, "Mathematics and the Imagination", Mathematical Gazette, vol. 35, no. 313, Sep. 1951.