Is there something in the order of a Goedel Escher Bach type book? If you've read it you know what I mean. Something compelling that you have to read a couple of times in order to start to get it, but it's so interesting you can't put it down!
[Math] Looking for book with good general overview of math and its various branches
big-listbooks
Best Answer
I'm going to answer your title question instead of your body question (which to my mind is completely different): what you're looking for in the title is the Princeton Companion to Mathematics.