About W.W. Rouse Ball W.W. Rouse Ball (1850-1925) was author of several other books on mathematics including the Short History of Mathematics (1888) and the History of the Study of Mathematics at Cambridge (1889). Books by W.W. Rouse Ball Mathematical Recreations & Essays Twelfth Edition by (author) W.W. Rouse Ball & H.S.M. Coxeter