I'm doing a Bachelor of Pure Mathematics in Unisversity, and while reading through the book that outlines the course selections, I found one that is listed as "rarely offered", which the department says will likely never be offered again. It is titled "The History of Math", and the synopsis of the course reads as follows:
How did the many powerful theories of modern mathematics develop, and which major mathematicians influenced and shaped this development?
How did the many powerful theories of modern mathematics develop, and which major mathematicians influenced and shaped this development? In this course, this historical development of mathematics is exemplified by concentrating in some detail on the history of the calculus from its early beginnings through its 18th-century progress to the introduction of mathematical analysis in the 19th century, and the further developments to set theory, the beginnings of topology, and to the structural point of view of the 20th century. Its emphasis is on a deeper understanding of the dynamic nature of mathematics and of the interrelations among various branches of mathematics. This should lead to a better understanding of familiar mathematical topics and also allows the introduction of new mathematical content from a modern point of view.
This is a shame, because I am deeply interested in finding out how some of the popular theories were developed and molded to be taught at lower levels. The one I can think of in particular is how Newton et al came up with the Fundamental Theory of Calculus.
So, aside from haphazardly looking up and reading poorly written (or lacking information) articles on wikipedia, are there any good books that cover this sort of material?