| In summary, Julio's suggestion that the history of mathematics
| has little to do with (the modern view of) number, seems out of
| place, at least here on HM, right?
No!... I did not suggest anything, dear Milo. I just noted my lack of
understanding of what was being sought, and remarked that although I did
not see historical content asked for in the question referred to [*],
I would much appreciate to grasp what *precisely* was looking for in
order (perhaps) to be of any help. I am still in the darkness.
======
[*] "Do you know of any very good essays or other treatments of domain
of number (e.g., the major objects, operations, etc, of the whole,
integer, rational, and real number systems) that would be serious and
yet accessible? I'd like help in assembling a small number of very good
pieces that would serve as a resource for a group of mathematicians with
whom I am working to write an essay on number. In part, I want them to
see some other people's takes on this domain, and in part, I also want
them to see what examples of serious writing that is accessible to an
educated, but not mathematically trained, reader might look like."
======
I may quote hundreds of very good essays or other treatments of domain
of number. But where to begin?... "The Book of Numbers" seems an obvious
choice, since its "aim is to bring to the inquisitive reader without
particular mathematical background an explanation of the multitudinous
ways in which the word *number* is used."... Now, does Conway & Guy's
preliminary Deuteronomy fit in the scheme sought? I don't know (BoN is
not formula free). Who would dispute that Denis Guedj's "Numbers: The
Universal Language" is a gem?... Now, is this lovely little book
appropriate for the project above referred to? I don't know. Et cetera.
Julio Gonzalez Cabillon
PS
Q: How much is an expensive car (in Uruguay)?
A: ... HOW MUCH is an expensive car?... An EXPENSIVE car?... I don't know.
[... the price would range between $25.000 and $250.000, and "expensive"
would surely depend on the consumer's standpoint, I guess]