The Mathematical Association of America's
Beckenbach Book Prize

The Beckenbach Book Prize, established in 1986, is the successor to the MAA Book Prize which was established in 1982. This prize is awarded to an author of a distinguished, innovative book published by the MAA. The winning book is an introduction to combinatorial proofs and counting arguments. “Few mathematicians are immune to the limpid charms of a clever counting argument,” says the citation, noting that such charms are in abundant display in the book by Benjamin and Quinn. “There is something here for every fan of counting. For example, do you know how many odd numbers there are in the 76th row of Pascal’s Triangle? Do you know what happens when you reverse the order of the terms in a finite continued fraction? Proofs That Really Count illustrates in a magical way the pervasiveness and power of counting techniques throughout mathematics. It is one of those rare books that will appeal to the mathematical professional and seduce the neophyte.”

The Complete Joint Prize Session Program's Citation and Response
MAA Press Release
Past Winners