This set contains A History of Mathematics in the United States and Canada: Volume 1: 1492-1900 by David E. Zitarelli and Volume 2: 1900-1941 by David E. Zitarelli, Della Dumbaugh, and Stephen F. Kennedy. This is the first truly comprehensive and thorough history of the development of mathematics and a mathematical community in the United States and Canada. David Zitarelli was emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Temple University. A decorated and acclaimed teacher, scholar, and expositor, he was one of the world's leading experts on the development of American mathematics. Author or co-author of over a dozen books, this was his magnum opus-sure to become the leading reference on the topic and essential reading, not just for historians.

In clear and compelling prose, Zitarelli spins a tale accessible to experts, generalists, and anyone interested in the history of science in North America. In the preface to the first volume of this work, Zitarelli reveals his animating philosophy, ""I find that the human factor lends life and vitality to any subject."" History of mathematics, in the Zitarelli conception, is not just a collection of abstract ideas and their development. It is a community of people and practices joining together to understand, perpetuate, and advance those ideas and each other. Telling the story of mathematics means telling the stories of these people: their accomplishments and triumphs; the institutions and structures they built; their interpersonal and scientific interactions; and their failures and shortcomings.