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"Mathematical Discoveries," by Robert L. Devaney. Review of Celestial Encounters: The Origins of Chaos and Stability, by Florin Diacu and Philip Holmes. Science, 20 December 1996, pages 2032-2033.
The subject of this book is the development of the field of dynamical systems and chaos theory, starting with problems of celestial mechanics and the work of Henri Poincaré. Calling the book "delightful," the reviewer says "The authors interweave numerous anecdotes about the personalities involved in the discoveries with technical details of the mathematical ideas themselves." Some background in dynamical systems or chaos theory is necessary for full appreciation of the book, Devaney notes, but the historical parts are accessible without that background.
