Sand-reckoner

Gillian Bradshaw is a consummate writer, as is evidenced by her intelligent, exciting historical novels. Now Bradshaw presents us with a fictional account of Archimedes, one of the most innovative and intriguing thinkers of the ancient world. The young Archimedes has had three years of heaven at Ptolemy's Museum at Alexandria. But heaven must be forsaken when he learns that his father is ailing and his home city of Syrcuse is at war with the Romans. Reluctant but resigned, Archimedes goes home to build catapults as a royal engineer. He experiences fame and loss, love and war, wealth and betrayal - none of which affects him nearly as much as the divine beauty of mathematics.