Book Brief · P3 (Prompt → Program → Proof)

It All Adds Up

Mickaël Launay · William Collins · English edition 2018/2019 · 272 pp

Popular Math History People & Ideas Accessible

P3 Summary: Prompt → Program → Proof

Prompt & Question

Prompt: Create a concise, self-contained brief of It All Adds Up that highlights how Launay tells the story of mathematics through people and pivotal ideas.

Question: What is the book’s angle, what range of topics/eras does it span, and what are the key publication facts (publisher, year, pages, ISBN)?

Data (Sources)

  • Official William Collins product page (overview, positioning).[1]
  • HarperCollins AU listing with pages/ISBN/on-sale date.[2]
  • Retail listings confirming UK publication date and page count for the English edition.[3], [4]
  • Review noting French original and English edition details.[5]

Logic (How we evaluate)

  1. Use publisher pages for description and canonical metadata.
  2. Cross-check format/date/pages/ISBN with retailer records.
  3. Place the English edition in context of the French original using a scholarly review.

Program (Driver)

A tiny “check” harness ensures every data-claim has at least one footnote in Citations.

// Pseudocode
const claims=[...document.querySelectorAll('[data-claim]')];
for (const c of claims) assert(c.querySelector('sup a[href^="#fn-"]'));
Proof = Reason Why + Check. “Reason Why” summarizes evidence; “Check” verifies structure.

Answer (TL;DR)

Launay’s book is an accessible, people-first tour of mathematics — “from Aristotle to Ada Lovelace” — weaving stories and ideas to show how maths became central to human history; the English edition is published by William Collins (272 pages).[1], [2]

Reason Why (Evidence)

The publisher positions it as a “brief history of the mathematical ideas that have forever changed the world and the everyday people and pioneers behind them,” explicitly framed “from Aristotle to Ada Lovelace.”[1]

The English edition’s core facts — William Collins as imprint, 272 pages, English, and release in the 2018/2019 window — are listed on HarperCollins AU and retailer pages (paperback ISBN 9780008283971 / 0008283974).[2], [3], [4]

Reviews place the book as the English version of Launay’s French bestseller Le grand roman des maths (Flammarion, 2016), adapted for a broad audience.[5]

Check (Self-test)

Automated checks: (1) every claim cites a source; (2) required sections exist; (3) core metadata parses.

    Running checks…

    Math Track: People + Ideas the Book Emphasizes

    1. People & pioneers: The narrative highlights mathematicians and everyday figures behind turning points, not just abstractions.[1]
    2. Across eras: Spans from classical philosophy (e.g., Aristotle) to early computing (e.g., Ada Lovelace), anchoring ideas in their time.[1]
    3. Global anecdotes: Retail descriptions stress history mixed with stories “from around the world,” aiming to demystify mathematics.[6]
    4. Popularization goal: Written as an accessible, engaging introduction to how mathematical thinking shapes the world.[1]
    Takeaway: By foregrounding people and narrative, the book lowers barriers for readers who find math intimidating while still conveying why specific ideas mattered.

    Themes

    1. Human stories drive ideas: Mathematics advances through communities, curiosity, and context — not in a vacuum.[1]
    2. Bridging fear and fascination: The publisher’s framing underscores accessibility and demystification for general readers.[1]

    Studies & Context

    • French original: Le grand roman des maths: de la préhistoire à nos jours (Flammarion, 2016), cited by reviewers as the source work.[5]
    • English edition timeline: 2018 release listings (HC/Kindle) and 2019 paperback availability across retailers.[2], [3], [4]

    Glossary (quick reference)

    Popular mathematics
    Writing that aims to communicate mathematical ideas to a general audience with stories, history, and applications — the publisher explicitly positions this book that way.[1]
    Mathematical biography
    A genre focusing on the lives of mathematicians and their contexts; the book blends this with thematic history.[1], [5]

    Book Metadata

    • Title: It All Adds Up: The Story of People and Mathematics.[1]
    • Author: Mickaël Launay.[1]
    • Publisher / Imprint: William Collins (HarperCollins UK).[1], [2]
    • English edition publication: 2018 (release listings); widespread 2019 paperback availability.[2], [3], [4]
    • Pages: 272; ISBN (paperback): 9780008283971 / 0008283974.[2], [4]

    Citations (for this page)

    1. William Collins — product page (overview & positioning). :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
    2. HarperCollins AU — listing with pages (272), ISBNs, on-sale date. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
    3. Amazon (US) — 2019-11-14 publication date; 272 pages. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
    4. AbeBooks — paperback ISBN 9780008283971 / 0008283974; 2019. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
    5. A. Bultheel (2021) — review noting French original (Flammarion, 2016) and English edition (William Collins, 272 pp). :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
    6. Amazon (UK) — description emphasising global anecdotes & accessibility. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

    This brief paraphrases public information; it does not reproduce the book’s text.