X Marks the Spot is written from the point of view of the users of mathematics.
Since the beginning, mathematical concepts and techniques (such as arithmetic and geometry) were created as tools with a particular purpose like counting sheep and measuring land areas.
Understanding those purposes leads to a greater understanding of why mathematics developed as it did.
Later mathematical concepts came from a process of abstracting and generalizing earlier mathemat.
A K Peters X marks the spot: the lost inheritance of mathematics, paperback/richard garfinkle
