In twelve chapter, one for each month of the year, Marcus du Sautoy explores the nature of symmetry, and gives us an unparalleled insight into the working life of a mathematician.

He journeys from the pyramid to the football, from fundamental particles to our ideas of art, from insect life to architecture, from computer science to psychology, and explores what is perhaps the most significant concept in mathematics. He shows that symmetry is at the basis of communication and evolutionary biology; at the very heart of life. And he brings us face to face with the oddball mathematicians, both past and present, who have battled to understand symmetry's elusive qualities.

What is it like to solve an ancient mathematical problem in a flash of inspiration? What is it like to be shown, ten minutes later, that you've made a mistake? What is it like to see the world in mathematical terms, and what can that tell us both life itself? In Finding Moonshine, Marcus du Sautoy investigates these questions and shows mathematical novices what it feels like to be graphing with some of the most complex ideas the human mind can encmpass.

Marcus du Sautoy is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Wadham College. He has been named by the Independent on Sunday as one of the UK's leading scientists, has written extensively for The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Telegraph and has appeared on Radio 4 on numerous occasions. He is the author of The Music of the Primes (Fourth Estate, 2003) and has presented Mind Games and The Music of the Primes on BBC television. He was the Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer in 2006, which was broadcast on Channel 5, and is filming The Story of Maths for the BBC. He lives in London with his wife and three children.