Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience – classics which will endure for generations to come.

‘Maths is one of the purest forms of thought, and to outsiders mathematicians may seem almost otherworldly’

In 1963, schoolboy Andrew Wiles stumbled across the world’s greatest mathematical problem: Fermat’s Last Theorem. Unsolved for over 300 years, he dreamed of cracking it.

Combining thrilling storytelling with a fascinating history of scientific discovery, Simon Singh uncovers how an Englishman, after years of secret toil, finally solved mathematics’ most challenging problem.

Fermat’s Last Theorem is remarkable story of human endeavour, obsession and intellectual brilliance, sealing its reputation as a classic of popular science writing.

‘To read it is to realise that there is a world of beauty and intellectual challenge that is denied to 99.9 per cent of us who are not high-level mathematicians’ The Times

‘This is probably the best popular account of a scientific topic I have ever read’ Irish Times

‘Reads like the chronicle of an obsessive love affair. It has the classic ingredients that Hollywood would recognise’ Daily Mail

‘To read it is to realise that there is a world of beauty and intellectual challenge that is denied to 99.9 per cent of us who are not high-level mathematicians’ The Times

‘This tale has all the elements of a most exciting story: an impenetrable riddle; the ambition and frustration of generations of hopefuls; and the genius who worked for years in secrecy to realise his childhood dream’ Express

Simon Singh received his PhD from the University of Cambridge. A former BBC producer, he directed the BAFTA Award-winning documentary film ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’, about Andrew Wiles and the world’s most famous maths problem, and he wrote the book of the same title. He is also the author of ‘The Code Book’ and ‘Big Bang’.