For anyone interested in mathematics, this book offers an intriguing foray into the neuroscience that undergirds our number sense. Indeed, the reader will discover that the brain has an innate ability to count and understand differences in magnitude, and that this is not unique to humans. Nieder, an expert in this field, offers us a brief, but meaty journey through what we know, and what remains to be discovered, about how the brain engenders numerosity. Although most of the book centers on insightful experiments that have taught us how the brain deals with numbers, the author thoughtfully considered including a full six chapters of critical background information for the uninitiated, which encompasses conceptualizing what numbers are, the evolutionary rationale for having a number instinct, and the neuroanatomy of number and quantity processing. Nevertheless, fully understanding the experiments presented (and there are many), requires the reader to remember the background material, particularly the anatomy. As such, it would help to bookmark the pages that contain the anatomical diagrams and drawings for quick access. Overall, this is a highly informative read, in a topic almost no one has seriously written about, but the content by its very nature is dense and somewhat abstract, so most readers would not consider this light reading. In fact, I must confess that found myself having to occasionally refer to the source material to fully grasp what the author was trying to summarize. In conclusion, approach this book with excitement, but also a little bit of patience.
Rafael Romero, PhD