Book cover of Zero

Book description

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK

The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshipped it, and the Christian Church used it to fend off heretics. Today it's a timebomb ticking in the heart of astrophysics. For zero, infinity's twin, is not like other numbers. It is both…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Zero as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

My exposure to the number zero over four decades teaching and doing research in mathematics, nanoscience, chemical toxicology, and food safety made me wonder why this number, quantifying nothing, was such a problem whenever it is encountered.

This easy-to-read book gives a complete history of zero from the ancients to the present, as well as illustrating some of its unique properties across numerous disciplines. It is an eye-opening journey into the fascinating properties of a truly unique number.

The author argues that the biggest questions in science and religion often involve nothingness and eternity, with the resulting clashes over zero…

If you love Zero...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Zero?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Zero.

Browse books like Zero

Book cover of The Nothing That is: A Natural History of Zero
Book cover of Damned Lies and Statistics
Book cover of The Death of Common Sense

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Zero, you might also like...

Book cover of Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South

Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South by William D. Auman,

Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.

Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…

Book cover of A Winter's Disgrace

A Winter's Disgrace by Kathleen Buckley,

Cyprian, a marquess’s heir, will not let his mother choose his next bride. Leaving a house party in a blizzard to avoid her stratagems, he finds a woman trudging half frozen toward the London road. Rosamund fled disgrace, hoping to reach the one person who might shelter her, but even…

5 book lists we think you will like!