Book Brief · P3 (Prompt → Program → Proof)

The Secret Lives of Numbers

Kate (Tomoko) Kitagawa & Timothy Revell · William Morrow (US, 2024) · Penguin Books (UK, 2024) · 320 pp

History of Mathematics Global & Inclusive Popular History Award Shortlist 2024

P3 Summary: Prompt → Program → Proof

Prompt & Question

Prompt: Create a concise, self-contained brief of The Secret Lives of Numbers emphasizing its global, corrective approach to math history and reliable metadata.

Question: What is distinctive about the book’s argument and scope, and what are the key publication facts (publishers, dates, pages, ISBNs, award note)?

Data (Sources)

  • US publisher page (William Morrow/HarperCollins) with description, on-sale date, examples and award note.[1]
  • UK publisher page (Penguin Books) with description, publication date, page count and ISBN.[2]
  • British Academy Book Prize shortlist page (2024) for award confirmation.[3]

Logic (How we evaluate)

  1. Use US/UK publisher pages as canonical sources for metadata & scope.
  2. Use the prize page to verify recognition.
  3. Keep claims at the level both pages support (people, places, themes).

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 + Argument Map)

Kitagawa & Revell argue that the history of mathematics is global and collaborative, not a narrow parade of European “great men.” The book restores overlooked people and places—from the House of Wisdom to the Kerala school and civil-rights-era mathematicians—into a single, lively narrative; US edition (William Morrow) on sale July 9, 2024; UK paperback (Penguin) Aug 29, 2024; 320 pp.[1], [2]

  1. Corrective lens. Explicitly challenges Eurocentric origin stories; centers “boundary-smashers” erased due to race, gender, or nationality.[1], [2]
  2. Case studies. Hypatia → Uhlenbeck; House of Wisdom; Madhava (Kerala calculus centuries before Newton); Black mathematicians countering discriminatory algorithms; even the I Ching’s binary link appears among highlights.[1], [2]
  3. Scope. Six continents, thousands of years, across mathematical disciplines; accessible, story-led style.[1], [2]
  4. Recognition. Shortlisted for the 2024 British Academy Book Prize.[3]

Reason Why (Evidence)

The HarperCollins page lays out the global thesis and examples (Hypatia → Uhlenbeck; House of Wisdom; Madhava; Black mathematicians in the Civil Rights era), and notes the book covers “thousands of years [and] six continents.”[1]

Penguin lists the UK publication date (29/08/2024), 320 pages, and emphasizes a “revisionist, inclusive” history highlighting people erased due to race, gender, or nationality; it also mentions the I Ching/binary and Kerala calculus stories in its blurb quotes.[2]

The British Academy page confirms the 2024 shortlist.[3]

Check (Self-test)

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

    Running checks…

    Scope Track: What the Book Covers

    1. People across eras: Hypatia to Karen Uhlenbeck; “lady computers” in astronomy; Black mathematicians of the US Civil Rights era.[1]
    2. Places across continents: Baghdad’s House of Wisdom; Indian Kerala school; Chinese I Ching connection to binary (historical lens through reviews/blurb).[1], [2]
    3. Purpose: Rebuild the story of mathematics as multicultural, collaborative, and continuous rather than isolated “eureka” moments.[2]
    Takeaway: It’s a narrative history that changes who we see in the mirror of mathematics—without tearing down familiar figures, it widens the frame and fills in missing links.[1], [2]

    Themes

    1. Visibility & credit. Recovering erased contributors shifts how we teach and apply math today.[2]
    2. Math in culture. Ideas move through empires, languages, and institutions—science is social and global.[1]

    Studies & Context

    • Publication timeline: US on-sale 2024-07-09 (HarperCollins/William Morrow); UK paperback 2024-08-29 (Penguin); 320 pages.[1], [2]
    • Award: 2024 British Academy Book Prize shortlist (non-fiction in translation or about global cultures).[3]

    Glossary (quick reference)

    House of Wisdom
    Medieval Baghdad center of translation/science highlighted for mathematical transmission.[1]
    Kerala school
    South Indian tradition (e.g., Madhava) credited with powerful series methods centuries before Newton; featured as a case study.[1], [2]
    I Ching & binary
    Penguin’s blurb notes connections drawn between hexagram structure and binary representation in the book’s discussion.[2]

    Book Metadata

    • Title: The Secret Lives of Numbers: A Global History of Mathematics & Its Unsung Trailblazers (US subtitle variants: “A Hidden History of Math’s Unsung Trailblazers”).[1], [2]
    • Authors: Kate (Tomoko) Kitagawa; Timothy Revell.[2]
    • Publishers: William Morrow/HarperCollins (US); Penguin Books (UK).[1], [2]
    • Publication dates: US 2024-07-09; UK 2024-08-29.[1], [2]
    • Pages & ISBNs: 320 pp; US HC ISBN 9780063206052; UK PB ISBN 9780241994351 (eBook 9780241994368).[1], [2]
    • Award: Shortlisted for the 2024 British Academy Book Prize.[3]

    Citations (for this page)

    1. HarperCollins / William Morrow — US edition: description, on-sale 2024-07-09, global scope & examples. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
    2. Penguin Books — UK edition: description, publication 29/08/2024, 320 pages, ISBN 9780241994351; blurb references to Kerala & I Ching. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
    3. British Academy Book Prize — 2024 Shortlist page. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

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