Though I lack personal experience with a historical approach to studying mathematics, a starting point could be the reading list by St. John's College as part o

Though I lack personal experience with a historical approach to studying mathematics, a starting point could be the reading list by St. John's College as part of the materials the faculty uses to teach mathematics to their undergraduates: https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/subjects/mathematics https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/subjects... Readings include Archimedes's "On the Equilibrium of Planes" and "On Floating Bodies" and Nicomachus's "Arithmetic." However, I've heard of some mixed reviews on the effectiveness of learning math [1] [2] via reading historical texts at St. John's, versus more traditional approaches today in good mathematics programs. A bit separately but as a related idea, I've spoken to a couple people who said they preferred older mathematics books from the 1900s to the 1960s for their studies over modern books. I personally prefer modern books with recent editions that are well-recommended, as they usually have good visualizations of ideas and shouldn't frequently have errors (due to their reputation). If you're studying as a hobby, though, the most effective mathematics book, assuming it's reasonably reputable and heard-of, is the one that interests you enough to stick with it for consistent study in the long-term. [1] https://old.reddit.com/r/stjohnscollege/comments/ehcem3/how_are_the_math_courses_at_stjohns/ https://old.reddit.com/r/stjohnscollege/comments/ehcem3/how_... [2] https://old.reddit.com/r/stjohnscollege/comments/ngpu0i/math_at_st_johns/ https://old.reddit.com/r/stjohnscollege/comments/ngpu0i/math...