Part I: Setting the Stage: The Academic Milieu
Wilbour Hall
Otto Neugebauer
Abraham J. Sachs
Gerald J. Toomer
Enter David Pingree, My Protagonist
Part II: The Loons and How I Got to Know Them
Simon Forman
In Which I Meet Lord Dacre
Elias Ashmole
Thomas Allen
Siva and Parvati
Pythagoras
Priscillian
St. Christopher the Dog-Faced
St. Cuthbert
Vergilius Maro Grammaticus
Fredegund
The Fabricated Letters of Antony and Cleopatra
Elegabalus
A Few Thoughts on Mathematics and Theology
John Napier
Katharine Firth
Abu Ma’ashar and the Hurrians
Apollonius of Tyana
Charles-BenOit Hase
Abu Rayhan al-Biruni
Ringing Down the Curtain
Further Reading
Biography
Philip J Davis
The book is a collection of short stories, small anecdotes in the life of some historical characters. More concretely, it focuses on the oddities and singularities of some well-known historical figures, not only in science, but also in arts, politics and social sciences. … the book shows the fascination for ancient history, the treasures hidden in original sources and the importance of exploring unusual connections.
—Javier Martinez, The European Mathematical Society, January 2013… a rambling, illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable bio/autobiographical and historical sketch, setting Pingree’s immense erudition in its professional and intellectual context. Besides a string of amusing and intriguing anecdotes plentifully sprinkled with photos and sketches, this small volume supplies a valuable reminder of how complex, surprising and just plain strange the history of the exact sciences can be.
—Kim Plofker, MAA Reviews, October 2012
