1. What is a Proof and Why?.- 2. The Ancients.- 3. The Middle Ages and Calculation.- 4. The Dawn of the Modern Age.- 5. Hilbert and the Twentieth Century.- 6. The Four-Color Theorem.- 7. Computer-Generated Proofs.- 8. The Computer as a Mathematical Aid.- 9. Aspects of Mathematical Life.- 10. The Sociology of Mathematical Proof.- 11. A Legacy of Elusive Proofs.- 12. John Horgan and "The Death of Proof".- 13. Closing Thoughts.- Index of Names.- References.- Index.

This text explores the many transformations that the mathematical proof has undergone from its inception to its versatile, present-day use, considering the advent of high-speed computing machines. Though there are many truths to be discovered in this book, by the end it is clear that there is no formalized approach or standard method of discovery to date. Most of the proofs are discussed in detail with figures and equations accompanying them, allowing both the professional mathematician and those less familiar with mathematics to derive the same joy from reading this book.

Steven Krantz is a well-known Springer author. He has written nine books with Springer (1-931914-59-1, 0-8176-4339-7, 0-8176-4011-8, 0-8176-4339-7, 0-8176-4220-X, 0-8176-4097-5, 1-930190-87-5, 0-8176-4264-1, 0-8176-4285-4 ) with sales accumulating almost $130,000 in North America. Prof. Krantz is the editor-in-chief of the "society" journal (published in cooperation with Springer) "The Journal of Geometric Analysis" and is also the present editor-in-chief of the AMS Notices. "The Proof is in the Pudding, is the first of its kind. It details the history of the proof from its beginnings to its place in present-day mathematics. (This was presented as a "hot topic" in an article in the Notices of the AMS.)