Ian Stewart is Professor of Mathematics at Warwick University. An active research mathematician, he is also a well-known popularizer of mathematics and related areas of science. In 1995 he was awarded the Royal Society's Michael Faraday award for furthering the public understanding of science; his book Nature's Numbers was shortlisted for the 1996 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books; and he delivered the 1997 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, televised by the BBC. His many books include From Here to Infinity: a guide to today's mathematics, The Science of Discworld and The Science of Discworld II, What Shape is a Snowflake? and Flatterland.