Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh is not a book which details out the proof. The actual proof manuscript by Andrew Wiles is 200 pages long and consists of beautiful blend of mathematical concepts with modern mathematics.
Simon Singh has very beautifully explained the various approaches and attempts made to prove this theorem by mathematicians for over 350 years. She has step by step taken the reader to the times preceding the Fermat’s time, to the time of Pythagoras, wherein lies the roots of this theorem. In this process she has taken us through brief life, time and works of various mathematicians whose work proved valuable in order for Andrew Wiles to proof this theorem.
The book is written in a very interesting and catching style and surprisingly does not include any complex mathematics. And hence a person with basic high school understanding of mathematics can understand and grasp the concepts in this book.
A must read for any mathematics fan.