Lillian Rosanoff Lieber
Encyclopedia
Lillian R. Lieber was a mathematician and popular author. Many generations of readers have been inspired and influenced by her popular books on mathematics and its philosophical implications. She often teamed up with her illustrator husband, Hugh Gray Lieber, to produce visually compelling works.
, and chemist Martin André Rosanoff
.
and the Galois Institute of Mathematics and Art in Brooklyn
, New York until her retirement in 1950. Her highly accessible writings were praised by no less than Albert Einstein
, C. J. Keyser, E. T. Bell
, and S. I. Hayakawa
. Concerning her book, The Education of T. C. MITS, Dorothy Canfield Fisher
said:
T.C. MITS
was an acronym for "The Celebrated Man In The Street," a character who, like George Gamow
's Mr. Tompkins, served as a device for bringing concepts in higher mathematics and physics to the general public. The MITS character was central to Lieber's populist approach to education, and she often laced her expositions with passages extolling the virtues of the democratic system.
The Cavendish Press in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has adopted Lillian's rule of thumb with some elaboration.
Early life
Lieber was one of four children of Clara and Abraham Rosanoff. Her brothers were Joseph Rosanoff, psychiatrist Aaron RosanoffAaron Rosanoff
Aaron Joshua Rosanoff was a Russian-American psychiatrist who studied psychosis and was closely associated with Eugenics Record Office and a member of the Eugenics Research Association....
, and chemist Martin André Rosanoff
Martin André Rosanoff
Martin André Rosanoff, Sc.D. was an Russian-American chemist. Born at Nikolaev, Russia, he was educated at Nikolaev in the classical Gymnasium of that city, in Berlin, and in Paris. Later, he studied at New York University in the United States...
.
Career
Lieber was head of the math department at Long Island UniversityLong Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
and the Galois Institute of Mathematics and Art in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York until her retirement in 1950. Her highly accessible writings were praised by no less than Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, C. J. Keyser, E. T. Bell
Eric Temple Bell
Eric Temple Bell , was a mathematician and science fiction author born in Scotland who lived in the U.S. for most of his life...
, and S. I. Hayakawa
S. I. Hayakawa
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa was a Canadian-born American academic and political figure of Japanese ancestry. He was an English professor, and served as president of San Francisco State University and then as United States Senator from California from 1977 to 1983...
. Concerning her book, The Education of T. C. MITS, Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Dorothy Canfield Fisher was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the twentieth century. She was named by Eleanor Roosevelt as one of the ten most influential women in the United States...
said:
"This is quite different from any other book you ever bought... full of mathematics and full of humor... also full of a deep, healing philosophy of life, reassuring, strengthening, [and] humane..."
Personal Obscurity
Few details of Lillian Lieber's life and career have survived, even at Long Island University.Unusual Typography
In addition to enlivening her books with illustrations by her husband, Hugh Gray Lieber (who was head of the Department of Fine Arts at Long Island University), Lillian often chose an unusual scheme of typography which is self-explained in this example from her Preface to The Education of T. C. MITS:This is not intended to be
free verse.
Writing each phrase on a separate line
facilitates rapid reading,
and everyone
is in a hurry
nowadays.
T.C. MITS
T.C. Mits
T.C. Mits , is a term coined by Lillian Rosanoff Lieber to refer to an everyman. In Lieber's works, T.C...
was an acronym for "The Celebrated Man In The Street," a character who, like George Gamow
George Gamow
George Gamow , born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov , was a Russian-born theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He discovered alpha decay via quantum tunneling and worked on radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis, Big Bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave...
's Mr. Tompkins, served as a device for bringing concepts in higher mathematics and physics to the general public. The MITS character was central to Lieber's populist approach to education, and she often laced her expositions with passages extolling the virtues of the democratic system.
"The Lillian Lieber Standard"
In her highly accessible book, The Einstein Theory of Relativity, Lillian Lieber stated her views on the inclusion of mathematics in books intended for "the celebrated man [or woman] in the streets:""...just enough mathematics to HELP and NOT to HINDER the lay reader... Many 'popular' discussions of Relativity without any math at all have been written, but we doubt whether even the best of these can possibly give to a novice an adequate idea of what it is all about.... On the other hand, there are many [books on relativity] that are accessible to experts only."
The Cavendish Press in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has adopted Lillian's rule of thumb with some elaboration.
Works
Although her works were broadly influential (including a special paperback edition of The Education of T. C. MITS that was circulated to American servicemen during World War II), they remained out of print for decades. Starting in 2007, publisher Paul Dry has reissued The Education of T.C. MITS, Infinity, and The Einstein Theory of Relativity.- 1931 Non-euclidean Geometry, Academy Press.
- 1932 Galois and the Theory of Groups, Science Press Printing Company, Lancaster, Pa.
- 1936 The Einstein Theory of Relativity, Science Press Printing Co., Lancaster, PA.
- 1940 Non-euclidean Geometry: Three Moons in Mathesis, Science Press Printing Co., Lancaster, PA.
- 1942 The Education of T. C. MITS, The Galois Institute Press, Long island University.
- 1944 The Education of T. C. MITS, W. W. Norton & Co., NY, (Revised & Enlarged edition)
- 1945 The Einstein theory of Relativity, Farrar & Rinehart, NY. (Part I of this edition is the same material published in 1936. Part II was new in this edition.
- 1946 Modern Mathematics for T. C. Mits, The Celebrated Man in the Street, G. Allen & Unwin Ltd, London, 1st London Edition.
- 1946 Take a Number: Mathematics for the Two Billion, The Jacques Cattell Press, Lancaster, PA.
- 1947 Mits, Wits and Logic, (1st Edition) W.W. Norton, NY.
- 1949 The Einstein Theory of Relativity, D. Dobson, London.
- 1953 Infinity Rinehart, NY.
- 1954 Mits, Wits, and Logic, (Revised Edition) Galois Institute Press, Brooklyn.
- 1959 Lattice Theory; the Atomic Age in Mathematics, Galois Institute of Mathematics and Art, Brooklyn, NY.
- 1960 Mits, Wits, and Logic, (3d Edition) W. W. Norton, NY.
- 1961 Human Values and Science, Art and Mathematics, (1st Edition) W. W. Norton, NY.
- 1963 Mathematics: First S-t-e-p-s, F. Watts, NY.
