Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-272) and index.

Cambridge, April 2003 -- The shape of the earth -- Possible worlds -- The shape of the universe -- Euclid's geometry -- The non-Euclideans -- Bernhard Riemann's probationary lecture -- Riemann's legacy -- Klein and Poincaré -- Poincaré's topological papers -- The great savants -- The conjecture takes hold -- Higher dimensions -- A solution in the new millennium -- Madrid, August 2006.

Conceived in 1904, the Poincaré conjecture, a puzzle that speaks to the possible shape of the universe and lies at the heart of modern topology and geometry, has resisted attempts by generations of mathematicians to prove or to disprove it. Despite a million-dollar prize for a solution, Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman, posted his solution on the Internet instead of publishing it in a peer-reviewed journal. This book "tells the story of the fascinating personalities, institutions, and scholarship behind the centuries of mathematics that have led to Perelman's dramatic proof." The author also chronicles dramatic events at the 2006 International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid, where Perelman was awarded a Fields Medal for his solution, which he declined.