This book presents a historical overview of number theory. It examines texts that span some thirty-six centuries of arithmetical work, from an Old Babylonian tablet to Legendre's Essai sur la Theorie des Nombres, written in 1798. Coverage employs a historical approach in the analysis of problems and evolving methods of number theory and their significance within mathematics. The book also takes the reader into the workshops of four major authors of modern number theory: Fermat, Euler, Lagrange and Legendre and presents a detailed and critical examination of their work.

本书收录了薇依绎读古希腊经典的所有完整篇目，以及薇依的所有诗歌作品。通过阅读《伊利亚特》、《普罗米修斯》、《会饮》、《安提戈涅》等名篇，薇依以独特的睿哲引领我们重新接近那些耳熟能详的古希腊诗人，以既古老又新颖的姿态探寻基督精神与希腊精神的承袭，使我们看到，当下人类的困境恰恰扎根于现代人文精神对古典精神的误解。

《数论:从汉穆拉比到勒让德的历史导引》内容简介：数论——或者一些人称之为的算术，是最古老、最纯粹、最有活力、最初等却也是最深奥的数学领域。这门学科具有“数学皇后”的名声绝非偶然。一些最为复杂的传统的数学思想便是由对数论的基本问题的研究发展起来的。
对数论有杰出贡献的韦伊，写成了诠释数论历史的这《数论:从汉穆拉比到勒让德的历史导引》；他的研究内容涵盖了大约三十六个世纪的算术工作——从一块可追溯到汉穆拉比王朝的古巴比伦的泥板到勒让德的《论数论》（1798）。韦伊一直希望向有较好教育背景的读者讲述他的研究领域，这促使他在问题的分析、数论方法的演变以及它们在数学中的意义方面使用了历史性的解读方法。在他的论述过程中，韦伊和读者一起来到现代数论的四位主要作者（费马、欧拉、拉格朗日、勒让德）的工作室，并在那里进行了一场仔细的、带有批判眼光的查验。《数论:从汉穆拉比到勒让德的历史导引》富含知识史的广博内容，对了解我们的文化遗产有很重要的贡献。

"Extremely readable recollections of the author... A rare testimony of a period of the history of 20th century mathematics. Includes very interesting recollections on the author's participation in the formation of the Bourbaki Group, tells of his meetings and conversations with leading mathematicians, reflects his views on mathematics. The book describes an extraordinary career of an exceptional man and mathematicians. Strongly recommended to specialists as well as to the general public." EMS Newsletter (1992) "This excellent book is the English edition of the author's autobiography. This very enjoyable reading is recommended to all mathematicians."Acta Scientiarum Mathematicarum (1992)