Elliptic Tales

The authors present their discussion in an informal, sometimes playful manner and with detail that will appeal to an audience with a basic understanding of calculus. This book will captivate math enthusiasts as well as readers curious about an intriguing and still unanswered question. --Margaret Dominy, Library Journal Minimal prerequisites and its clear writing make this book (which even has a few exercises) a great choice for a seminar for mathematics majors, who at some point should have such an excursion to one of the frontiers of mathematics. -- Mathematics Magazine The authors of Elliptic Tales do a superb job in demonstrating the approach that mathematicians take when they confront unsolved problems involving elliptic curves. --Sungkon Chang, Times Higher Education One cannot help being impressed, in reading the book and pursuing a few of the references, by the magnitude of the enterprise it chronicles. --James Case, SIAM News Ash and Gross thoroughly explain the statement and significance of the linchpin Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjection... [A]sh and Gross deliver ample and current intellectual and technical substance. -- Choice I would envision this book as an excellent text for an undergraduate 'capstone' course in mathematics; the book lends itself to independent reading, but topics may be explored in much greater depth and rigor in the classroom. Additionally, the book indeed brings together ideas from calculus, complex variables and algebra, showing how a single mathematical research question may require an integrated understanding of the various branches of mathematics. Thus, it encourages students to reinforce their understanding of these various fields, while simultaneously introducing them to an open question in mathematics and a vibrant field of study. --Lisa A. Berger, Mathematical Reviews Clippings The book is very pleasantly written, and in my opinion, the authors have done an admirable job in giving an idea to non-experts what the Birch-Swinnerton Dyer conjecture is about. --Jan-Hendrik Evertse, Zentralblatt MATH The book's most important contributions ... are the sense of discovery, invention, and insight into the habits of mind used by mathematicians on this journey. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be challenged mathematically or who wants to experience mathematics as creative and exciting. --Jacqueline Coomes, Mathematics Teacher