Book excerpt: William J. Adams, Professor of Mathematics at Pace University, is a recipient of Paces Outstanding Teacher Award. He was Chairman of the Pace N.Y. Mathematics Department from 1976 through 1991. Professor Adams is author or co-author of over twenty books on mathematics, its applications, and history, including Elements of Linear Programming (1969), Calculus for Business and Social Science (1975), Fundamentals of Mathematics for Business, Social and Life Sciences (1979), Elements of Complex Analysis (1987), Get a Grip on Your Math (1996), Slippery Math in Public Affairs: Price Tag and Defense (2002) ; Think First, Apply MATH, Think Further: Food for Thought (2005), The Life and Times of the Central Limit Theorem Second Edition(2009), and Alarming! The Chasm Separating Basic Statistics Education from its Necessities (2013). His concern with the slippery side of math and what math can do for us and its limitations is a prominent feature of his writings on applications. Concerning higher education in general, he is the author of The Nitty-Gritty in the Life of a University (2007).