Andrey Kiselyov
Andrei Petrovich Kiselyov (Андрей Петрович Киселёв, b. Mtsensk November 30, 1852, d. Leningrad, November 8, 1940) was a Russian and Soviet mathematician.
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Biography
Kiselyov attended the district school in Mtsensk and later enrolled the Gymnasium in Oryol, the main city in the region. He graduated from the Gymnasium in 1871 with the gold medal and, in the same year, entered the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of St Petersburg University. In 1875 Kiselyov graduated the university with a degree that allowed him to teach in a Gymnasium. He taught mathematics, mechanics and drawing. It was at that time when he started writing his own textbooks.
Of the many textbooks he wrote, three became the staple of school mathematics texts in Russia for many years: Systematic arithmetic course for secondary schools (1884), Elementary Algebra (1888), Elementary Geometry (1892-1893). These textbooks remained in use during the Soviet times, praised for good logical organization and clarity of the material despite having some logical gaps, which were beyond understanding of an ordinary student. Kiselyov himself suggested that the properties required of a good textbook were precision, simplicity, and conciseness. By the 1950s Kiselyov's Geometry was still in widespread use.
In the early 2000s these three titles were re-issued primarily to acquaint teachers of secondary schools with the style of mathematics education employed a century ago. Since then, these textbooks see an increased interest from teachers and students alike.