Scan barcode
A review by simmoril
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth by Paul Hoffman
4.0
In what appears to be a continuing trend of 'watch the documentary, then read the book', I just finished Paul Hoffman's "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth" after having seen the documentary "N Is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdős". I have always been a huge fan of mathematics, and I have a deep love for books which highlight the more romantic side of mathematics, the part that is obscured by the endless repetition and memorization that seems to pervade all math classes.
Paul Erdős was one of the world's greatest and most prolific mathematicians. But aside from his seemingly innumerable papers proving theorem after theorem, what made Paul special was his tireless devotion to mathematics. Working 19-hour days well into his 70's and 80's, crisscrossing the globe to work with all sorts of mathematicians, he was an absolute powerhouse of brilliance.
In Hoffman's book, he describes his encounters with some of Erdős' collaborators, as they share stories and anecdotes that highlight what working with Erdős was like. Their description of his hectic pace and his almost child-like innocence with regards to the world at large really help the reader get an idea of the joy and frustration that came with working with such a great mathematician.
I thoroughly enjoyed "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers", and the only real criticism that I can make towards Hoffman's book is that I felt he deviated a little too much when describing the life and history of other mathematicians. Although the story of Fermat's Last Theorem and Wiles' subsequent proof of it is a good story (and made for a fantastic book), I was somewhat surprised to see it take up about 10 pages in the book, considering Erdős had no contributions to the proof.
If you have even a tiny interest in mathematics, I highly suggest watching the documentary "N Is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdős", and then checking out this book. Who knows, it might even rekindle a love for mathematics you didn't even know you had.
Paul Erdős was one of the world's greatest and most prolific mathematicians. But aside from his seemingly innumerable papers proving theorem after theorem, what made Paul special was his tireless devotion to mathematics. Working 19-hour days well into his 70's and 80's, crisscrossing the globe to work with all sorts of mathematicians, he was an absolute powerhouse of brilliance.
In Hoffman's book, he describes his encounters with some of Erdős' collaborators, as they share stories and anecdotes that highlight what working with Erdős was like. Their description of his hectic pace and his almost child-like innocence with regards to the world at large really help the reader get an idea of the joy and frustration that came with working with such a great mathematician.
I thoroughly enjoyed "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers", and the only real criticism that I can make towards Hoffman's book is that I felt he deviated a little too much when describing the life and history of other mathematicians. Although the story of Fermat's Last Theorem and Wiles' subsequent proof of it is a good story (and made for a fantastic book), I was somewhat surprised to see it take up about 10 pages in the book, considering Erdős had no contributions to the proof.
If you have even a tiny interest in mathematics, I highly suggest watching the documentary "N Is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdős", and then checking out this book. Who knows, it might even rekindle a love for mathematics you didn't even know you had.