The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth [Hardcover]

 

 

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I knew Paul Erdos since I was a small child. I consider that this book, and, even more, the blurb about it, misrepresent him quite seriously. According to the book, Hoffman met Erdos only once; and his portrayal of him in the book is simultaneously oversimplified, confused and inaccurate. I am giving the book two stars rather than one, because at least it is better and more accurate than the blurb about it.
Erdos is portrayed as narrowly obsessed with mathematics, to the point of almost being a freak. He is described in the blurb as having none of the normal interests in sex, companionship, art or even food. While I don't usually describe the personal characterstics of my friends and acquaintances in a public review, Erdos has for some reason become so much of a topic for public discussion that I feel that I should respond to some of the wilder remarks. It is true that Erdos was celibate, but he had a very great liking for companionship, and friendships were important to him..
He disliked being alone, and mostly managed to avoid being alone. He had a very large number of friends, to whom he was very warm and caring and extremely generous. Yes, he could be a tiring guest, but he gave far more than he ever took, and far more than most people ever do. He gave absolutely unstintingly of his time, mathematical ideas, money (whenever he had any) and influence (whenever he had any). He always made very special efforts not only to visit and help his friends when ill or in difficulties, but to do the same with the friends and relations of his friends. Not all his friends were mathematicians. Notably, he was extremely fond of children. He carried out his desire for companionship into his professional life, where he carried out a great deal of his work in collaboration with others, and had more collaborators than any other scientist of whom I have ever heard. As regards food, he had a great appreciation of good food, and would for example, sometimes reciprocate his hosts by taking them to good restaurants. While he did not have a special interest in art, he was very fond of nature, and also had strong interests in languages, history and politics. He was certainly not a "Man Who Loved Only Numbers". He was indeed obsessed with mathematics; but this was his least unusual characteristic. Many people pursue interests and careers obsessively; Erdos differed from others in being infinitely more creative and successful in his chosen pursuit than most others; in the extent to which he combined this obsession with an intelligent interest in other subjects; and in pursuing creative mathematics into old age.
The book and the blurb about it, also make me uneasy in my professional capacity as a developmental and cognitive psychologist who studies individual differences in cognition. While few people are as outstandingly talented in any direction as Erdos in mathematics, many people - a far larger number than had at one time been thought - are uneven in their abilities. It is both scientifically inaccurate, and a potential source of distress to the individuals concerned, to assume that such unevennesses are solely a matter of attention and focus. Thus, the implication that Erdos' physical clumsiness and difficulties with certain practical activities were due solely to a narrow focus on mathematics is both unfair to Erdos personally and a disservice to the many less eminent people who are physically clumsy or have other specific cognitive or motor difficulties.
If anyone is interested in reading a good biography of Erdos, I would strongly recommend them to read Schecter's "My Brain Is Open" - much better than this ... book.

Paul Hoffman, publisher of Encyclopedia Brittanica, has written a lively biography of Paul Erdos, a brilliant number theorist who spent his long and productive career with no permanent residence. Although Erdos had many oddities, such as the inability to handle some of the most mundane tasks such as taking a shower without pointing the nozzle in the wrong direction and getting water all over the floor, he was a very charming and lovable man, unlike, for example, John Nash throughout much of the latter's life.

I think that a more accurate title would have been The Man Who Understood Only Numbers. Certainly he loved children and had no apparent malice towards anyone. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in people of unusual intelligence. This is not a math book. No knowledge of mathematics whatsoever is necessary for the enjoyment of this book and the appreciation of its subject.

I did not intend to suggest I knew Erdos,I was just thinking that every once in a while a genius does appear and walks amongst we less gifted mortals.Although I've studied a lot of mathematics;but when one reads about Erdos,one feels like a baseball fan,who has not even played minor league ball,getting to see how a Major Leaguer ,and one of the best at that,thinks.
If you would like to read about a man whose life in Mathematics was similar to Woody Guthrie's in music you will find this an excellent read.To enjoy this book you no more need to know mathematics any more than you need to read or compose music to enjoy reading about the life of Guthrie.
Erdos,who put in 19-hour days proving and conjecturing,denied that he fell asleep during mathematics conferences."I wasn't sleeping",he would say."I was thinking."
The book also tells us about Erdos's great friend,Ron Graham.They were referred to as the odd couple of mathematics; but so different from one another.Erdos never had a job that lasted more than an acedemic year;Graham would stay at Bell Labs his whole career,eventually becoming Chief Scientist.Graham had a complete family life ;Erdos had no family.Erdos became addicted to amphetamines.Graham bet him he couldn't quit.Erdos won and kept off drugs for a month and said "But I didn't get any work done.I'd get up in the morning and stare at a blank piece of paper.I'd have no ideas,just like an ordinary person.You set mathematics back a month".

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5.0 out of 5 stars Eminently Fascinating
Having stopped learning math in high school, competent, but not excellent at it, this book was a great romp of mathematical trivia. Read more

Published on Aug 30 2003 by B. M. Chapman

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but lacks crucial information
Paul Erdos' position in number theory of the 20th century is pretty much like Miles Davis' in jazz: in some way or another every important figure in number theory has worked with... Read more

Published on Aug 25 2003 by S. Park

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book
Thirty years ago I might have called Joyce's Ulysses my favorite book. Now I prefer things that are easier to get through yet somehow touch the stars, and this book portrays a... Read more

Published on Aug 5 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book
I picked up this book to learn about one of the prolific mathematicians of the 20th century. What I got out of these mere 280 pages was a lot more than just that. Read more

Published on July 13 2003 by Y. Kaynar

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a math person but...
I didn't read this book by choice; I got stuck with Paul Erdos as a school project for my High School algebra class. Needless to say, I wasn't all that enthused. Read more

Published on April 23 2003 by Martin Andrade

5.0 out of 5 stars Even if you aren't a math person.....
Even if you are not a math person you will find this book enjoyable. During every sitting there was at least one story of Erdos's witicisms or crazyness that made me laugh out... Read more

Published on Mar 23 2003 by Andrew D Weitzman

5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting Paul Erdos
268 pages plus 16 photo pages, exciting to read, revealing the life and personality of Paul Erdos, a great and very
excentric number theorist of the 20-th century. Read more

Published on Feb 19 2003 by Per Kistler

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Great
This book weaves a biography and interesting math lessons gracefully.

Published on Dec 2 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars A big disappointment.
This book is not really a biography of mathematician Paul Erdos [pronounced: "Air-dish"] (1913-1996), who specialized in number theory. Read more

Published on Oct 24 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars A big disappointment.
This book is not really a biography of mathematician Paul Erdos [pronounced: "Air-dish"] (1913-1996), who specialized in number theory. Read more

Published on Oct 24 2002

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