One of the masterpieces that has gone the opposite direction is:
Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning (three volumes bound as one) by A. D. Aleksandrov, A. N. Kolmogorov, M. A. Lavrent'ev (18 authors total) http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Do...
This book is really good companion for autodidacts. It's basically overview of mathematics.