Ever since the Romans, 'Empire' has been a word of power to rulers and theorists of statecraft. It implied much more than 'rule' or 'kingdom': those states which could pretend to the title of Empire thereby compared themselves with Rome, and implied that they were its successors. Professor Koebner's widely ranging book examines the use of the concept in European history from classical times until the early nineteenth century. He begins with the Romans, and analyses the original meanings of the word imperium. He then turns to later uses, in the Holy Roman Empire founded by Charlemagne, and its successors. The main part of the book considers the British Empire, from its uncertain foundation under Henry VIII to the secession of the American colonies - an event which caused a re-examination of the whole nature of the Empire. A final chapter considers the Napoleonic period.

In "Love and Math," Berkeley professor Edward Frenkel shows that mathematics, far from occupying a specialist niche, goes to the heart of all matter and unites us across cultures, continents, and centuries. In this heartfelt and passionate book, Frenkel reveals a side of mathematics we've never seen, suffused with all the beauty and wonder of a work of art, appealing not only to the cerebral, but to the human and the spiritual.
"Love and Math" tells two intertwined stories: of amazing mathematics and of the journey of one young man learning and living it. Growing up in Russia, Frenkel was denied entrance to university to study mathematics because of discriminatory policies. Yet with the help of his mentors he circumvented the system to become one of the twenty-first century's leading mathematicians. He now works on one of the biggest ideas to come out of mathematics in the last 50 years: the Langlands Program, considered by many to be a Grand Unified Theory of Mathematics.
While most people are not blocked from studying mathematics, many see it as being impenetrable, or worse, irrelevant to their lives. At its core, "Love and Math" is a story about gaining entry to the previously inaccessible, which can enrich our lives and empower us to understand better the world and our place in it. It is an invitation to discover the wonders of the hidden universe of mathematics.

新的科学突破将在于物质与信息边缘的地方。对于麦克斯韦妖这个假想的科学怪物的研究证实在朝向这个方向努力。逻辑计算能够不产生熵吗？计算上的不可逆和物理上的不可逆究竟有什么关系？信息和物质究竟以怎样的方式纠缠在一起？这本书是一个论文集，对物理与信息科学的边界进行探讨。

For more than two thousand years a familiarity with mathematics has been regarded as an indispensable part of the intellectual equipment of every cultured person. Today, unfortunately, the traditional place of mathematics in education is in grave danger. The teaching and learning of mathematics has degenerated into the realm of rote memorization, the outcome of which leads to satisfactory formal ability but does not lead to real understanding or to greater intellectual independence. This new edition of Richard Courant's and Herbert Robbins's classic work seeks to address this problem. Its goal is to put the meaning back into mathematics. Written for beginners and scholars, for students and teachers, for philosophers and engineers, What is Mathematics?, Second Edition is a sparkling collection of mathematical gems that offers an entertaining and accessible portrait of the mathematical world. Covering everything from natural numbers and the number system to geometrical constructions and projective geometry, from topology and calculus to matters of principle and the Continuum Hypothesis, this fascinating survey allows readers to delve into mathematics as an organic whole rather than an empty drill in problem solving. With chapters largely independent of one another and sections that lead upward from basic to more advanced discussions, readers can easily pick and choose areas of particular interest without impairing their understanding of subsequent parts. Brought up to date with a new chapter by Ian Stewart, What is Mathematics?, Second Edition offers new insights into recent mathematical developments and describes proofs of the Four-Color Theorem and Fermat's Last Theorem, problems that were still open when Courant and Robbins wrote this masterpiece, but ones that have since been solved. Formal mathematics is like spelling and grammar--a matter of the correct application of local rules. Meaningful mathematics is like journalism--it tells an interesting story. But unlike some journalism, the story has to be true. The best mathematics is like literature--it brings a story to life before your eyes and involves you in it, intellectually and emotionally. What is Mathematics is like a fine piece of literature--it opens a window onto the world of mathematics for anyone interested to view.