Émile Borel, one of the early developers of measure theory and probability, was among the first to show the importance of the calculus of probability as a tool for the experimental sciences. A prolific and gifted researcher, his scientific works, so vast in number and scope, earned him international recognition. In addition, he set up the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris and was its longtime director. He also served as member of the French Parliament, minister of the Navy, president of the League of Nations Union, and president of the French Academy of Sciences.

The book follows Borel, one of France's leading scientific and political figures of the first half of the twentieth century, through the various stages and the most significant events of his life, across two centuries and two wars.

Originally published in French, this new English edition of the book will appeal primarily to mathematicians and those with an interest in the history of science, but it should not disappoint anyone wishing to explore, through the life of an exceptional scientist and man, a chapter of history from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to the beginnings of contemporary Europe.