The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth

English language

Published Dec. 29, 1999

ISBN:: 978-0-7868-8406-3

(1 review)

The Man Who Loved Only Numbers is a biography of the famous mathematician Paul Erdős written by Paul Hoffman. The book was first published on July 15, 1998, by Hyperion Books as a hardcover edition. A paperback edition appeared in 1999. The book is, in the words of the author, "a work in oral history based on the recollections of Erdős, his collaborators and their spouses". The book was a bestseller in the United Kingdom and has been published in 15 different languages. The book won the 1999 Rhône-Poulenc Prize, beating many distinguished and established writers, including E. O. Wilson.

2 editions

Thom reviewed The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth by Paul Hoffman

Review of 'The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Somewhat scattered biography of the Hungarian Paul Erdős, describing his life and his mathematics through anecdotes and examples. Mathematician Ron Graham acted as his factotum and a few chapters act as his biography also. I think the math is accessible to the public, but your mileage may vary.

One of the things that makes Erdős famous is his contributions to papers in math, and these are not just in name only. He fostered young talent where possible and made real contributions to his last days.

Paul is also quirky, and that comes out clearly here. His travels remind me of Moe Berg, both of them itinerant wanderers. Unfortunately this biography also wandered quite a bit. The first portion of the book was solid, but without an index I would have trouble finding topics in the latter half - sometimes visiting math, sometimes history, and sometimes relatives. An index, bibliography, and …

Somewhat scattered biography of the Hungarian Paul Erdős, describing his life and his mathematics through anecdotes and examples. Mathematician Ron Graham acted as his factotum and a few chapters act as his biography also. I think the math is accessible to the public, but your mileage may vary.

One of the things that makes Erdős famous is his contributions to papers in math, and these are not just in name only. He fostered young talent where possible and made real contributions to his last days.

Paul is also quirky, and that comes out clearly here. His travels remind me of Moe Berg, both of them itinerant wanderers. Unfortunately this biography also wandered quite a bit. The first portion of the book was solid, but without an index I would have trouble finding topics in the latter half - sometimes visiting math, sometimes history, and sometimes relatives. An index, bibliography, and sources of the many quotes are all here, I just wish they weren't so necessary.