Account

Company

  Menu
Large Image

Descartes's Secret Notebook: A True Tale of Mathematics, Mysticism, and the Quest to Understand the Universe

by (Crown)

(59 reviews)

Get It Preview
$4.99 $5.99 Save 17%

Share This

Description

René Descartes (1596 -- 1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm "Cogito, ergo sum" marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates has made our intellectual conquest of physical space possible.

But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was written in code. After Descartes's death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, moved to Paris in search of this notebook-and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes's. Liebniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pages-which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Liebniz's hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes's notebook.

Why did Descartes keep a secret notebook, and what were its contents? The answers to these questions will lead the reader on an exciting, swashbuckling journey, and offer a fascinating look at one of the great figures of Western culture.

Tag This Book

This Book Has Been Tagged
It hasn't. Be the first to tag this book!

Our Recommendation

Get It This book is at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

Notify Me When The Price...

  • If I'm already tracking this book

to track this book on eReaderIQ.

Track These Authors

to track Amir D. Aczel on eReaderIQ.

  • to be notified each time the price drops on any book by Amir D. Aczel.
  • to stop tracking Amir D. Aczel.

Price Summary

  • We started tracking this book on January 31, 2012.
  • This book was $11.99 when we started tracking it.
  • The price of this book has changed 77 times in the past 4,932 days.
  • The current price of this book is $4.99 last checked one day ago.
  • The lowest price to date was $4.99 last reached on April 28, 2025.
  • This book has been $4.99 10 times since we started tracking it.
  • The highest price to date was $14.99 last reached on May 12, 2024.
  • This book has been $14.99 one time since we started tracking it.
  • This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

Genres

Additional Info

  • Publication Date: February 19, 2009
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Lending: Disabled
  • Print Length: 289 Pages
  • File Size: 14 KB

We last verified the price of this book about one day ago. At that time, the price was $4.99. This price is subject to change. The price displayed on the Amazon.com website at the time of purchase is the price you will pay for this book. Please confirm the price before making any purchases.