The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero
Robert Kaplan Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero

"Zero is silently omnipresent in our lives in almost every way, but it has had to overcome numerous obstacles over the centuries. Robert Kaplan tells us how nothingness gradually came into being, opening its way across skeptical civilizations that resisted the idea, viewed as useless devilish sorcery.
Indians, Mayans, Egyptians, Greeks, Sumerians, Babylons... they all struggled with the concept. But due to its practical convenience, zero prevailed along with positional notation, thus making Mathematics evolve into a much more effective tool and a majestic science (or is it an art?).
The second half of the book is devoted to exploring zero and its consequences, hence highlighting its importance in our time, as well as to playing around with it and to philosophical questions."
Andres Becerra, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history: - History of mankind
Nationality? - MANKIND
History of a science? Yes
Kind of science - Math

Subjects of this Historical Account
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Neutral
Intelligence of subject of history: - Smart

Main Adversary
From a certain profession/group? - scholars
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - almost none

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Greece - Germany - France
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - India
Africa Yes
Part of Africa: - Arabic Africa

Style
How much gore? - 2 ()
How fast-paced is the book? - 2 ()
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel... - encouraged
How much focus on stories of individuals? - Focuses mostly on the people/nation level
Is this a kid's book? - Ages 16-Adult
Pictures/Illustrations? - A handful
Length of book - 201-250 pages

Most similar books to The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero
Mosquito: A Natural History of our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe by Andrew Spielman and Michael D'Antonio
Mathematics in the Time of the Pharaohs by Richard J. Gillings
Beyond Velikovsky: The History of a Public Controversy by Henry H. Bauer
The Illustrated Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition by Stephen Hawking
A History of Knowledge by Charles Van Doren

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Robert Kaplan Resident Scholar Profiles

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Andres Becerra

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The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero Robert Kaplan Book Review

The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero
Robert Kaplan Book Review