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reenum's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the early part of the book, but Hoffman's style of stringing together a bunch of different anecdotes only loosely connected became grating. I stopped at page 150.
isovector's review against another edition
4.0
I'm planning a trip around the world in Erdos' style --- showing up, working hard on a project with someone, and then peaceing out. Most books about mathematicians I hate because they spend too much time discussing their personal lives, and not enough talking about their mathematical contributions. Unfortunately, this is the one book contrary to that style. It's a book with a few fun Erdos anecdotes, but mostly a description of somewhat-related mathematics and mathematicians for the layperson. Cantor's diagonalization argument is great and all, but I know it, and it doesn't help answer any questions I have about Erdos' lifestyle.
All of that being said, this is a fun book that's worth reading. It just didn't answer what I was hoping it would.
All of that being said, this is a fun book that's worth reading. It just didn't answer what I was hoping it would.
mkduds's review against another edition
5.0
As a math nerd, this was such a fun book to read. Erdos is an interesting character who made a great impact in the modern world of mathematics. It's also fun to read for all the math proofs and ideas.
balhau's review against another edition
4.0
This is a lovely book. It is a journey through the life and work of Paul Erdös. For those, like me, that didn't know Erdös as a human being this comes as a mixed surprise. Erdös was an exceptional human being, very unique in his behaviour and with strong moral values and kind to humanity with particularly to epsilons (childrens in erdös words). Erdös was one of the most prolific mathematicians ever and the amount of work done by him is completely astonishing. He is also recognized as one of the counter examples to the theory that mathematical brains go into retirement at age of 35 more or less, by publishing until the very end of his life. This book is a lovely one because not only draws a very colorful of Erdös life but it also interleaves his life and work with those of Cantor, Einstein, Hilbert, Godel, Bertrand Russel and many more. His life and work is also a leverage to introduce some main mathematical results and ideas in a very simple and straightforward way. The whole book is very well written and it was a very lovely experience to go through the reading.
restlessunicorn's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating biography of one of recent history's most influential mathematicians, Paul Erdos.
paulogonzalez's review against another edition
4.0
The book is in large part a work in oral history based on the recollections of Erdös and his collaborators and their partners. And it is especially a great journey through 20th century mathematics and its main characters (in fact, there is a little too of some older maths). Which is Erdös' own story, since he dedicated his life to traveling visiting his collaborators.
Erdös was different from everyone, he had an eccentric and appealing personality, a force in the mathematics of the last hundred years, especially in number theory and prime numbers. A child prodigy, a genius in his adulthood with no home and no worries about money (he give away most of what he received by his work).
His mathematical insight was amazing, and impressive was his ability to create and cope with different problems, as well as his habit of writing joint papers whom whoever he met. Besides, I was surprised that he used drugs, which I did not know.
A life worth knowing, no doubt, and here it is well written by Hoffman, who it is not a mathematician but knew how to capture that world very well from his talks with Erdös himself and many other professional mathematicians.
Erdös was different from everyone, he had an eccentric and appealing personality, a force in the mathematics of the last hundred years, especially in number theory and prime numbers. A child prodigy, a genius in his adulthood with no home and no worries about money (he give away most of what he received by his work).
His mathematical insight was amazing, and impressive was his ability to create and cope with different problems, as well as his habit of writing joint papers whom whoever he met. Besides, I was surprised that he used drugs, which I did not know.
A life worth knowing, no doubt, and here it is well written by Hoffman, who it is not a mathematician but knew how to capture that world very well from his talks with Erdös himself and many other professional mathematicians.
clarel's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating account of a beautiful mind, with the mathematics presented in an accessible and interesting manner.
rogerb's review against another edition
3.0
Not so good.
Although I write with the privilege of having met him 3 times (and yes, I beat him at chess: http://users.aber.ac.uk/rob21/Unofficial/erdos.html). So I was not over-impressed by the numbers in the text that get explained moderately well, although Hoffman can by his own admission present only the trivial.
But after a while the hagiography grated. I think the text needed at least some comment on this being in some ways a sad man for many reasons, and this is not touched at all.
And FAR too many diversions that are just off the topic of the title.
Although I write with the privilege of having met him 3 times (and yes, I beat him at chess: http://users.aber.ac.uk/rob21/Unofficial/erdos.html). So I was not over-impressed by the numbers in the text that get explained moderately well, although Hoffman can by his own admission present only the trivial.
But after a while the hagiography grated. I think the text needed at least some comment on this being in some ways a sad man for many reasons, and this is not touched at all.
And FAR too many diversions that are just off the topic of the title.
sdoire's review against another edition
4.0
No doubt this is going to rank as one of my favorite mathematical bios. Boy was that Erdos a character.