To me, Abels Proof successfully bridges the difficult gap that separates math books from fun books. Being one who appreciates the history and development of ideas and who is not afraid of a few equations, my needs as a reader were tastefully satisfied. If you, like me, find yourself enticed by some of the more subtle problems in math and science, while at the same time, have not the recourse to explore each one to their fullest, this book will be a welcome guide. Pesic uses Niels Abels proof (1824) regarding the general insolvability by radicals of fifth degree equations as the central trunk of a robust tree whose branches contain delightful episodes of mathematical examples, human dramas, twists of fate, and historical parades. As much a biography as anything else, I could feel the personalities of the mathematicians evinced through their contributions to the question of solvability. From the near misses of Ruffini and Gauss to the final QEDs of Abel and Galois, one sees the human elements of struggle, triumph, anger, and success, set thoughtfully alongside the mathematical details. Carefully arranged mathematical sidebars allow this book to be read with as much technical intent as one chooses to bring; the math is there for the taking (little goes beyond a basic familiarity with algebra). In short, this book offers a delightful way to see some intriguing math and the characters who made it happen.
