Michael Sean Mahoney

Michael Sean Mahoney (June 30, 1939 – July 23, 2008) was a historian of science and technology.

Mahoney was born in New York City, and did his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, graduating in 1960. He earned a Ph.D. in history and history of science from Princeton University in 1967, and immediately took a position as an assistant professor there. He remained at Princeton for over 40 years, until his death in 2008.[1][2][3]

A conference on the history of science and technology was held in his honor at Princeton in May 2009.[4]

Fermat biography

Mahoney's biography of Pierre de Fermat received much critical attention[5][6][7] including a scathing review by André Weil in 1973.[8][9][10] A second edition of Mahoney's book came out in 1994.

Selected publications
  • Mahoney, Michael Sean, The mathematical career of Pierre de Fermat. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., 1973. 2nd edition, 1994, ISBN 0-691-03666-7
  • Mahoney, Michael S., Barrow's mathematics: between ancients and moderns. Before Newton, 179–249, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1990.
  • Mahoney, Michael, S. and Thomas Haigh (editor). Histories of Computing. Harvard Univ. Press. 2011. Completed posthumously.

References
  1. Stevens, Ruth (July 25, 2008), "Michael S. Mahoney, historian of science and devoted faculty member, dies", News at Princeton, Princeton University.
  2. Buchwald, Jed Z.; Burnett, D. Graham (2009), "Michael S. Mahoney, 1939–2008" (PDF), Isis, 100 (3): 623–626, doi:10.1086/649137.
  3. William Aspray, "Michael Sean Mahoney (1939-2008)", IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol.36, no. 3, pp. 70-79, July-Sept. 2014, doi:10.1109/MAHC.2014.41
  4. Gordin, Michael D.; Byrne, James (2009), The Historical Career of Michael Sean Mahoney (PDF), Princeton Program in History of Science.
  5. Gabbey, Alan (1975), "The Mathematical Career of Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665) by Michael Sean Mahoney", The British Journal for the History of Science, 8 (1): 81–84, doi:10.1017/s0007087400013819, JSTOR 4025827.
  6. Gridgeman, N. T. (1976), "The Mathematical Praeface to the Elements of Geometrie of Euclid to Megara (1570) by John Dee; The Mathematical Career of Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665) by Michael Sean Mahoney", The American Historical Review, 81 (4): 840–841, doi:10.2307/1864830, JSTOR 1864830.
  7. Ouwendijk, George (1997), "The Mathematical Career of Pierre de Fermat, 1601-1665. by Michael Sean Mahoney", Renaissance Quarterly, 50 (1): 334–335, doi:10.2307/3039384, JSTOR 3039384.
  8. Koblitz, Neal (2008), Random Curves: Journeys of a Mathematician, Springer, p. 92, ISBN 9783540740773.
  9. Landsburg, Steven E., Andre Weil, retrieved 2013-02-20.
  10. Weil, A. (1973), "Review: M. S. Mahoney, The mathematical career of Pierre de Fermat", Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, 79 (6): 1138–1149, doi:10.1090/s0002-9904-1973-13354-3, MR 1566693.
  • Michael S. Mahoney papers. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. 38 boxes of Mahoney's books and serials related to the history of computing, mathematics, and related fields; and 17 boxes of Mahoney's archival materials, including course work, subject files, and publication drafts.
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