"Fascinating and enjoyable . [P]laces the ideas of infinity in a cultural context and shows how they have been espoused and molded by mathematics."-- Science "Writing a first-rate math book that will appeal to non-mathematicians must be one of the toughest jobs around. Such books do not appear often. Eli Maor is a mathematician with one hand firmly in mathematics, the other reaching out to the rest of us. His approach to his subject--infinity as a mathematical and cultural phenomenon--enables Maor to bridge the gap between mathematics and the world.Maor explores the idea of infinity in mathematics and in art and argues that this is the point of contact between the two, best exemplified by the work of the Dutch artist M. C.

Escher, six of whose works are shown here in beautiful color plates. Maor writes with mathematical precision and logic, which comes through in both parts and gives a pleasing insight into the thought processes that mathematicians use." -- Los Angeles Times "[Maor's] enthusiasm for the topic carries the reader through a rich panorama." -- Choice.