Such a format imposes severe restrictions upon a book meant to be read from cover to cover. Mathematical topics, after all, do not align themselves in a logical progression so as to mirror the Latin alphabet. Consequently, the transition between chapters is sometimes abrupt. As the reader will readily note, some of the following topics have been shoehorned into position, much as a size 16 foot must be squeezed into a size 8 boot. Devising a topical flow to coincide with the alphabetical flow has presented a true logistical challenge.
Later chapters have recurring and often interlaced themes.
Some describe specific results, such as the isoperimetric problem or Archimedes' determination of the surface area of a sphere. Some address such broader issues as the mathematical personality or the presence of women in the discipline. And whatever the subject, each chapter provides a strong dose of history. Chapters D and L, for instance, introduce differential and integral calculus, and thus carry a bit more mathematical baggage. In most chapters, however, there has been a deliberate attempt to avoid an overtly technical development.