20 years later, The Music of the Primes is still a groundbreaking popular science book. This new edition includes updates from the author and a foreword by actor and director Simon McBurney.

In 1859, German mathematician Bernhard Riemann presented a paper to the Berlin Academy that would change the history of mathematics. The topic was the strange and mysterious prime numbers. At the heart of the presentation was an idea, a hypothesis, which Riemann had not proven but has consumed mathematicians for the past 150 years. No one knows if he ever found it, as after his death, his housekeeper burned all his personal papers. Today, the hypothesis is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of mathematics, but its significance extends far beyond mathematics.

At the heart of the enigma is a prize much larger than mere intellectual glory: not only is there a $1 million reward for whoever proves it, but it is also the key to all banking and e-commerce security. It is the idea that combines many other areas of science and has implications for Quantum Mechanics, Chaos Theory, and the future of computing.

In 'The Music of the Primes,' one of Britain's leading mathematicians, Marcus du Sautoy, tells the story of these elusive numbers. It is a story of eccentric and brilliant men, last-second rescues from death, strange journeys, dangerous ideas, and the unrelenting thirst for knowledge that drove some to madness and others to unparalleled glory. Du Sautoy also recounts a history of mathematical history. Combining in-depth expertise as a professional in the field with narrative skill, this book will become a classic in popular science and will rank alongside 'Chaos' and 'Fermat's Last Theorem' within the genre.

The Riemann Hypothesis:

• Compared to Fermat's Last Theorem, the Hypothesis is the true Holy Grail of mathematics.
• It is the only problem from Hilbert's 1900 problems that remained unsolved in the 20th century and now has a $1 million reward for the person who proves it.
• The Hypothesis is the key to all internet and e-commerce security.

Pages: 464, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm