The best 39 Mathematics books

Fooled by Randomness (2001) is a collection of essays on the impact of randomness on financial markets and life itself. Through a mixture of statistics, psychology and philosophical reflection, the author outlines how randomness dominates the world.

• Investors and financial professionals who think they understand the nature of risk and performance
• Anyone interested in human decision-making
• Anyone who reads the newspaper every day to gain valuable information

Big Data provides an insightful look at why a change to “big data” is a major shift in how we collect, use and think about the data around us. It provides great explanations and examples of how individuals and companies already ahead of the curve are using the tools of big data to create value and profit. Casting an eye forward, the book also outlines the future implications for a big-data society in terms of the risks, opportunities and legal implications.

• Anyone who is interested in learning more about what “big data” is and what it means for society
• Anyone who is looking to make a career using big data
• Anyone from a company who is looking for opportunities to use the data the company collects

The financial theories you learn about in school are coherent, neat, convenient – and wrong. In fact, they’re so wrong that they might also be dangerous: in underestimating the risk of markets, we inadvertently set ourselves up for catastrophe. The Misbehavior of Markets lays out the flaws of economic orthodoxy, and offers a novel alternative: fractal geometry.

• Anyone who’s involved in finance
• People wondering whether it's wise to put their finances in someone else’s hands
• Those who find fractal images mesmerizing

In Simply Complexity, Neil F. Johnson presents an introduction to complexity theory, explaining what complex systems are, where we can spot them in everyday life and how we can benefit from understanding complexity. Although a young field, complexity science already offers us ways to help explain and potentially avoid complex phenomena, such as traffic jams, financial market crashes and modern warfare.

• Anyone interested in new explorations in science
• Anyone intrigued by the increasing complexity of today’s world
• Anyone who wants to better understand complex phenomena such as dating and warfare

How Not to Be Wrong gives us an intimate glimpse into how mathematicians think and how we can benefit from their way of thinking. It also explains how easily we can be mistaken when we apply mathematical tools incorrectly, and gives advice on how we can instead find correct solutions.

• Anyone interested in math
• Anyone interested in logic or philosophy
• Anyone interested in seeing the equations behind everyday situations

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) is a groundbreaking study in the history of science and philosophy. It explains how scientists conduct research and provides an interesting (if controversial) explanation of scientific progress.

• Students of the sciences, philosophy and history
• Participants in Mark Zuckerberg’s Year of Books
• Anyone who’s interested in the history of thought

A Mind for Numbers offers insight into the way our brains take in and process information. It outlines strategies that can help you learn more effectively, especially when it comes to math and science. Even if mathematical or scientific concepts don’t come naturally to you, you can master them with the right kind of dedication and perseverance – and this book will teach you how.

• Anyone interested in math
• Anyone interested in science
• Anyone who wants to get better at studying and retaining information

The Economist: Numbers Guide (1991) explores a variety of mathematical tools that are exceptionally useful across a range of business environments. These blinks reveal just how simple it is to manage risk by quantifying it, helping improve decision making in the process. The book’s mathematical notions are explained at a basic level, so no prior math knowledge is required.

• Entrepreneurs wondering how to apply mathematical ideas to their business
• Anyone seeking reliable tools for making decisions in uncertain business situations

The Code Book (1999) lays out the long and intriguing history of secret communication. These blinks will take you on a journey from Ancient Greece to the modern-day NSA, detailing innumerable stories of cunning, determination and deceit along the way.

• Anyone interested in codes, secrets and world history
• People with a taste for stories of wartime espionage
• Any linguist and mathematician

Numbers Rule Your World (2010) is a guide to statistical reasoning and how you can use concrete statistical information productively to understand as well as improve your world. These blinks walk the reader through the five key principles of statistics and how they can be applied to improve decision making in various contexts.

• People interested in statistics and how they apply to everyday life
• Anyone keen to reap the benefits of statistical thinking

Algorithms to Live By (2016) is a practical and useful guide that shows how algorithms have much more to do with day-to-day life than you might think. And not just that; they can also lead to a better life by helping you solve problems, make decisions and get more things done.

• Busy people who want to improve their time management
• Anyone interested in what algorithms do
• People who want to get more organized

Soccermatics (2016) highlights the link between the world’s most popular sport and something slightly less popular – math. These blinks will show you how statistical models can help explain the beautiful game, from strategy on the field to tips for beating the spread.

• Every soccer fan
• People who want to predict scores
• Anyone interested in applied mathematics or collective behavior

Innumeracy (1988) explains how an aversion to math and numbers pervades both our private and public lives. By examining various real-life examples of innumeracy and its consequences, the book offers helpful solutions to combat this irrational and misguided fear of math.

• Anyone convinced that they’re not a numbers person
• People interested in everyday applications of math

Though you might not be aware of it, machine learning algorithms are already seeping into every aspect of human life, becoming more and more powerful as they continue to learn from an ever-increasing amount of data. The Master Algorithm (2016) provides a broad overview of what kind of algorithms are already out there, the problems they face, the solutions they can provide and how they’re going to revolutionize the future.

• Entrepreneurs who want to connect producers and customers
• Tech junkies interested in the next big technological evolution
• Anyone concerned about how their personal data is being used

The Bestseller Code (2016) reveals the remarkable story behind a newly developed computer algorithm with the power to unlock the secrets behind the most popular best-selling books. By analyzing over a thousand bestsellers, patterns have emerged that show us which themes, plots, styles and characters contribute to earning a book a spot at the top of the charts.

• Readers wondering what makes a book popular
• Writers and authors looking for widespread success
• Computer geeks who love a good algorithm

The Knowledge Illusion (2017) is an in-depth exploration of the human mind. It argues against the view that intelligence is solely an individual attribute, offering compelling arguments for how our success as a species would have been impossible without a community of knowledge.

• Students of cognitive science
• Know-it-alls
• Aspiring intellectuals worried that they know too little

The Man Who Solved the Market (2019) traces the life of enigmatic hedge fund manager and mathematician Jim Simons. It chronicles his early life as a brilliant geometer who won awards for his math, to his work breaking Soviet codes, all the way through to his success with his hedge fund management firm Renaissance Technologies. Far more than just another investor, Simons changed the world with his math and methods.

• Anyone working in the world of finance
• Business journalists
• Mathematicians and geometers

At a time when many see specialization as the route to success, Range (2019) shows that having broad interests and taking your time to find your focus in life lead to excellence and innovation. Drawing on examples from business, sports, science and human psychology, Range urges us all to stay open-minded and curious.

• Individuals searching for a purpose in life
• The intellectually curious
• Those seeking an unconventional path to success

When Einstein Walked with Gödel (2018) is an excursion through both the fabric of our reality and the limits of scientific imagination. Combining math and physics with history and philosophy, it sheds light on some of the most important scientific theories of the last three centuries – and examines the turbulent lives of the geniuses who conceived them. 

• Laypeople who’d like to understand more about math and physics
• Critical thinkers interested in the history and philosophy of science
• Anyone who’d like to leave a big impression at their next cocktail party

The Data Detective (2021) is a smart, practical guide to understanding the ways in which statistics –⁠ and our reactions to them –⁠ distort and obscure reality. Using psychological research and illuminating examples, it reveals some of the ways our brains influence how we see data and statistics and how we draw incorrect conclusions as a result. By picking apart our cognitive biases and misconceptions, we gain the ability to see data, and in turn, the world, for what it really is.

• News and social media addicts
• Avid consumers of scientific articles and research
• Anyone who regularly comes into contact with data or statistics

The God Equation (2021) is an approachable look at the history and present of theoretical physics. This primer untangles the science behind relativity, string theory, and the search for the elusive “theory of everything.”

• Science enthusiasts interested in the tiniest scales of physics
• Freethinkers asking the big question about the universe
• Anyone curious about the structure of reality

The Model Thinker (2018) is a guide to using models to make data talk. In a world inundated with information, it sheds some much-needed light on the patterns underlying the noise – and points us toward the ways we can reveal those patterns for ourselves.

• Modeling novices interested in making sense of data
• Future-focused leaders interested in predicting the next big thing
• Anyone who wants to sound a little smarter at dinner parties

The Emperor’s New Mind (1989) is a timeless argument against the computability of the human mind. Taking you on a fascinating journey through math, computer science, philosophy, and physics, famous mathematician Roger Penrose explains what makes the human mind so special – and what quantum mechanics has to do with consciousness.

• Math freaks and science geeks 
• Hobby psychologists and armchair philosophers
• Anyone concerned about a robot uprising

Chaos (1987) delves into the most recent theoretical revolution in physics: chaos theory. In the 1970s, scientists began discovering that the world doesn’t behave as neatly as classical physics suggests. From the weather to animal populations to our heartbeats – irregularities, disorder, and chaos pervade our universe. And yet, there seems to be a strange order to the chaos of life. Chaos explores the history of this new science, revealing its startling findings, and pondering its implications.

• Curious minds interested in unraveling the mysteries of the universe
• People interested in the history of modern science
• Anyone looking to understand and appreciate the chaos of life

Zero (2000) is the fascinating story of a number banned by the ancient Greeks and worshipped by ancient Indians. Zero – as well as its twin, infinity – is a number that’s been at the heart of both mathematics and philosophy over the centuries.

• Popular science enthusiasts
• History buffs curious about how concepts have evolved over time
• Philosophers interested in everything . . . and nothing

Shape (2021) is a love letter to geometry, addressed to those who have –⁠ or thought they had –⁠ sworn off math forever. Accessible and fascinating, it shows how geometry underpins not just objects in the physical world, but also things like games, pandemics, artificial intelligence, and even American democracy. When we understand geometry, we understand a bit more about almost everything.

• Math haters convinced that geometry is boring
• Math lovers interested in how geometry intersects with other subjects
• The perennially curious

The Great Mental Models Volume 3 (2021) is the third book in a series that shows how mental models from various disciplines can be applied to make positive changes to your life. This volume focuses on mental models from systems and mathematics. It demonstrates how you can use cognitive tools to improve everything from decision-making and relationships to healthy eating and personal productivity.

• Decision-makers
• Problem-solvers
• The intellectually curious

Don’t Trust Your Gut (2022) turns that tried-and-true wisdom about trusting your gut on its head. Not only does trusting your gut instinct often lead you to make the wrong decision, there’s a pretty foolproof method to ensure you make the right decision – analyzing the available data and acting on it.

• Regretful impulsive decision-makers
• Those so overwhelmed by decision-making that they rarely make any decisions
• Anyone who’s ever resorted to a coin flip to make a particularly tricky decision

How to Read a Financial Report (1980) serves as a comprehensive guide that demystifies the complexities of evaluating a company's fiscal health. It explores balance sheets and income reports, clarifies the fundamentals of financial ratios, and explains any accompanying notes, offering tools for a clear and confident assessment of a business's economic status.

• Investors
• Managers
• Non-financial professionals 

Bank Investing (2021) helps you navigate the intricate maze of bank financial statements with ease. Dive deep into credit analysis, master the dance of regulations and interest rates, and get a front-row seat to the dynamic world of banking mergers and acquisitions. You'll not only be able to decipher bank metrics with flair but harness them to guide your investment choices like a seasoned pro.

• Aspiring finance students seeking practical insights
• New investors exploring bank stocks
• Financial professionals upskilling on banking

Relativity (1916) plunges you into the revolutionary world of physics, challenging your perceptions of space, time, and the cosmos. Dive deep into the groundbreaking ideas that reshaped our understanding of the universe. It's not just a scientific journey – it's a transformative experience that will redefine the reality you live in.

• Science enthusiasts curious about the universe's fundamentals
• Physics students seeking foundational knowledge
• Thinkers intrigued by groundbreaking ideas

Continuous-Time Finance (1990) looks at the mathematical foundations of financial markets, focusing on the use of continuous-time models to analyze pricing, risk management, and investment strategies. Combining theory with practical applications, it has become a cornerstone in quantitative finance.

• Aspiring financial analysts looking to deepen quantitative modeling skills
• Seasoned investment professionals aiming to enhance risk management strategies
• Ambitious graduate students studying advanced finance and economics concepts

How to Solve It (1945) revolutionized mathematical thinking by breaking down complex problem-solving into clear, manageable steps. You'll learn systematic methods for approaching any challenge, from identifying exactly what you're trying to solve to planning your steps and checking your work. These timeless strategies work just as well today for everything from daily decisions to mathematical proofs, making this enduring classic as relevant now as when it was first published.

• Students seeking to improve problem-solving skills
• Professionals wanting to enhance critical thinking
• Mathematicians exploring cognitive approaches to problem-solving

Robin Hood Math (2025) is your backstage pass to the hidden math running rankings, credit scores, and the feeds you didn’t choose. The good news is, by familiarizing yourself with these formulas, you can gain a street-smart toolkit that will help you build your own rankings, average predictions the right way, update beliefs, and “train” your social algorithms. It’s a practical playbook to take back a little power – both online and off.

• Anyone tired of being fed junk on their social media feeds
• Creators and marketers curious about the math behind a viral video
• People interested in the ethics of modern technology

The Laws of Thought (2026) is a deep dive into the world of cognitive science – the quest to understand the laws that govern our minds. It gives a broad and detailed account of the history of the discipline, starting with the foundations of formal logic before moving through behaviorism, early computational theories, semantic research, artificial neural networks, and finally probability theory. By offering insights into three main approaches to understanding the mind, it offers an intricate picture of the Laws of Thought.

• Anyone who ever thinks about how the mind works
• AI users curious about where the tech came from
• Philosophy buffs grappling with the great questions of life

God Created the Integers is a collection of writings by renowned physicist Stephen Hawking that delves into the history and development of mathematics. Through the exploration of key mathematical concepts and the work of influential mathematicians, Hawking provides a fascinating glimpse into the beauty and complexity of numbers and their role in shaping our understanding of the universe.

• Math enthusiasts who want to explore the history and development of mathematical concepts

• Readers interested in the intersection of science, philosophy, and mathematics

• Those seeking a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles that govern the universe

How to Memorize Formulas in Mathematics by Rajesh Sarswat provides practical techniques and tips to help students remember complex mathematical formulas. The book offers mnemonic devices, visualization strategies, and other memory aids to make the process of memorization easier and more effective. Whether you're a student struggling with math or someone looking to improve your memory, this book is a valuable resource.

• Students struggling to memorize math formulas

• Parents looking to help their children excel in mathematics

• Teachers seeking effective techniques to teach formula memorization

Thinking with Data by Max Shron is a comprehensive guide that teaches readers how to approach data analysis effectively. It focuses on the importance of asking the right questions and understanding the context before diving into data. Shron provides practical strategies and real-world examples to help readers develop a thoughtful and strategic mindset when working with data.

• Individuals who work with data and want to improve their analytical thinking

• Professionals in fields such as data science, business intelligence, or market research

• Students or academics looking to enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Set Theory and the Continuum Hypothesis by Paul J. Cohen delves into one of the most intriguing unsolved problems in mathematics. Cohen introduces the reader to the fascinating world of set theory and presents his groundbreaking method to prove the independence of the continuum hypothesis from the standard axioms of set theory. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the foundations of mathematics and the philosophy of mathematical reasoning.

• Mathematics enthusiasts seeking a deep understanding of set theory and its implications

• Graduate students or researchers in the field of mathematical logic

• Individuals interested in the history and philosophy of mathematics