A History of Pi

A History of Pi (also titled A History of π) is a 1970 non-fiction book by Petr Beckmann that presents a layman's introduction to the concept of the mathematical constant pi (π).[1]

Author

Beckmann was a Czechoslovakian who fled the Communist regime to come to the United States. His dislike of authority gives A History of Pi a style that belies its dry title. For example, his chapter on the era following the classical age of ancient Greece is titled "The Roman Pest";[2] he calls the Catholic Inquisition the act of "insane religious fanatic"; and he says that people who question public spending on scientific research are "intellectual cripples who drivel about 'too much technology' because technology has wounded them with the ultimate insult: 'They can't understand it any more.'"

Beckmann was a prolific scientific author who wrote several electrical engineering textbooks and non-technical works, founded Golem Press, which published most of his books, and published his own monthly newsletter, Access to Energy. He wrote more than 60 scientific papers and eight technical books.
Bibliography

A History of Pi was originally published as A History of π in 1970 by Golem Press. It was published as A History of Pi in 1976 by St. Martin's Press. It was published as A History of Pi by Hippocrene Books in 1990.[3] The title is given as A History of Pi by both Amazon[4] and by WorldCat.[5]

Beckmann, Petr (1970), A History of π (1st ed.), Golem Press, p. 190, ISBN 0-911762-07-8
Beckmann, Petr (1971-01-01), A History of π (2nd ed.), Golem Press, p. 196, ISBN 0-911762-12-4
Beckmann, Petr (1976-07-15), A History of Pi (3rd ed.), St. Martin's Press, p. 208, ISBN 0-312-38185-9
Beckmann, Petr (1977), A History of π (4th ed.), Golem Press, p. 202, ISBN 0-911762-18-3
Beckmann, Petr (1982), A History of π (5th ed.), Golem Press, p. 202, ISBN 0-911762-18-3
Beckmann, Petr (1990-06-01), A History of Pi (Reprint ed.), Hippocrene Books, p. 200, ISBN 0-88029-418-3