David Foster Wallace 2010 reissue with a preface by Neal Stephenson, originally published 2003. Everything and More. A compact history of infinity. New York: W.W. Norton & company, 344 pp.

The late acclaimed novelist takes a stab at a popular account of the mathematics and philosophy of infinity. A hugely disappointing read. Instead of providing some structure, or even a narrative, this book is an unfiltered stream of consciousness direct from David Foster Wallace. Clearly he knows a great deal about mathematics and especially the key mathematicians relevant to this subject. But he has no wit for imparting that information, despite his own obvious enthusiasm for the topic. The lack of chapters, and the blizzard of acronyms (way more than any academic author would have used) make it even more impenetrable.

A hard book to learn anything from, and more likely to steer the thoughtful reader to other sources, especially regarding Georg Cantor and transfinite numbers. Several books already on my shelf will do that more concisely and easily, but also: Dauben, Joseph W. 1979. Georg Cantor: his mathematics and philosophy of the infinite Boston: Harvard University Press; and Dauben, Joseph W. June 1983. Georg Cantor and the Origins of Transfinite Set Theory Scientific American 248 (6): 122–131.

The introduction to this edition by Neal Stephenson is an unconvincing try-hard apology for this idiosyncratic book.