The book combines topics in mathematics (geometry and topology), computer science
(algorithms), and engineering (mesh generation). The original motivation for these topics
was the difficulty faced (both conceptually and in the technical execution) in any attempt to
combine elements of combinatorial and of numerical algorithms. Mesh generation is a topic
where a meaningful combination of these different approaches to problem solving is
inevitable. The book develops methods from both areas that are amenable to combination …

This author is an electrical engineering pro fessor who has published a number of ac
cessible books displaying great enthusiasm for some mathematics, some mathemati cians,
and some mathematical history. This book is a sequel to An Imaginary Tale: The Story of V-1
(Princeton University Press, 1998) and it demands a good knowledge of calculus and an
enjoyment of related ma nipulations, especially those involving sums and integrals. Its dust
jacket looks like a nineteenth-century patent medicine adver tisement and the book really …