The Education of T.C. Mits: What Modern Mathematics Means to You

First published in 1942 for distribution to American soldiers in WWII, this volume makes a fascinating bit of social history, but a reprint of dubious worth. An acronym for The Celebrated Man In The Street, T.C. Mits is very much a product of his time, an early experiment in the personalized style of mass communication which has become the norm. Like many Americans who fought in the war, everyman Mits has a limited education and little knowledge of the world beyond his home; this book offers him a series of short lessons in mathematical logic and its social utility: ""The value of Science and Mathematics is not limited to the gadgets which they give us, but is also in their philosophy."" In each lesson, a mathematical example or proof is described, whimsically illustrated (occasionally in proper mathematical graphs), and then extended to non-mathematical matters; e.g., an amusing jaunt through Einsteinian relativity results in this ""Moral"": ""Adapt yourself to a continually CHANGING world."" The light-hearted lessons and corny line drawings are charming, to be sure, but numerous ""Why We Fight"" asides railing against Hitler and totalitarianism make it more than a little dated, and its condescending tone can grate; as described by Barry Mazer in the foreword, it's ""funny"" and ""a bit exasperating,"" like ""a loving, elderly aunt and uncle.""