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Our group read for February 2013 is The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdös and the Search for Mathematical Truth.

You can use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews about this book.

Are others seeing that this book is not easily available from anywhere other than Barnes & Noble? I have a Kindle and it is not available as a Kindle book nor as a reasonably priced/available book at Amazon.

I just borrowed the book from my local library. Can't wait to get started.

Jennifer wrote: "Are others seeing that this book is not easily available from anywhere other than Barnes & Noble? I have a Kindle and it is not available as a Kindle book nor as a reasonably priced/available book..."

Jennifer, I see that Barnes and Noble sells the paperback edition for $10.30, and Amazon sells it for $10.19. Also, you can buy used copies through Amazon for less than a dollar, plus shipping. My local library also has a copy of the book.

I bought a used copy from Amazon for $4 US + shipping, there's plenty of others there too.

I did notice that it was not available as an ebook. Problems with both my hands and my eyes make it difficult for me to read paper books, especially big ones like this.

I just bought a used copy from Amazon for $2.50.

Fibonacci poems are based on the Fibonacci sequence. I thought it was an interesting poetic connection to the book:

I'm a little over half way through. Love the stories.

About half way through the book and am really liking it. Erdos is one interesting man!

I'm starting the book now. I'm quite excited about it.

I adored this book. Erdos is one of my favorite math minds.

I've actually read this one already about a year ago, and I've loved it. I'm getting a little hazy on details, so perhaps this will be a good opportunity to re-read it and refresh my memories.

I just finished reading this book. Very enjoyable! I learned a lot about mathematics, and also about the psychology of mathematicians. Here is my review.

I think a very interesting aspect of the book, is how mathematicians, unlike physicists, don't always know ahead of time what types of problems are likely to become important. So, mathematicians sometimes go off into esoteric, off-the-beaten-path areas of mathematics. This often pays off well, because as the author shows, esoteric topics often are shown to be strongly linked to very important areas.

David wrote: "I just finished reading this book. Very enjoyable! I learned a lot about mathematics, and also about the psychology of mathematicians. Here is my review.

I think a very interesting aspect of the ...This often pays off well, because as the author shows, esoteric topics often are shown to be strongly linked to very important areas.
"

I love this about mathematics

I love the stories about mathematics, hopefully I can use a few of these for my classroom.

I succeeded to find the book and just started it. My first impression is that I'll like it.

I just got mine from Amazon for a penny. It's en route from MA, a neighboring state, so I hope it will arrive very soon.

I liked the book very much. Since I didn't know much about Paul Erdos beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised how informative this book is. The writing style is lively, which is a big plus. I've also written a full review, so I won't elaborate here on the points I mentioned there.

David wrote: "I just finished reading this book. Very enjoyable! I learned a lot about mathematics, and also about the psychology of mathematicians. Here is my review.

I think a very interesting aspect of the b..."

Great review, David. I really liked it.

Well, I devoured that book. Thoroughly enjoyable and understandable for people who have been exposed to some of these theories, I thought it gave terrific insight into a mathematician's aesthetic sense. I admire Paul Erdos for living the life as he was meant to live, fully devoted to abstract math, and creating a symbiotic relationship with other mathematicians. It's a well-balanced book with some math history, illustrations of some of the mathematical conundrums, and some biography of Paul Erdos. Overall, a human look into mathematicians and the beauty of math. I'm hoping to write my review this week.

Just managed to track this one down! Looking forward to it.

I found this to be a wonderful book. Easily read, great stories, and with the inclusion of some interesting math history. I am not a mathematician, but found the math included was not that hard to follow, and it added to the depth of the biography. It almost made me wish I had become a mathematician instead of an English Professor! (Well, maybe not! ;)

I think this biography is a terrific ode to a mathematician, following Erdos' life via math instead of a bunch of details Erdos would have considered insignificant. How do you explain a mathematician's life to a layman in a way that a mathematician would have approved? I think this book completed its objective.

Catherine wrote: "I found this to be a wonderful book. Easily read, great stories, and with the inclusion of some interesting math history. I am not a mathematician, but found the math included was not that hard to ..."

Catherine, as an English professor, I'm sure you're aware of the multitudes of subjective experience, since writing is an effective mean of communicating that. I don't know whether you saw the same thing I did, but I thought the book was philosophical and spiritual in nature, too. Do you see a correlation to a wandering monk who sheds material goods in the search for truth, in this case mathematical truth? Not only that, but the fact that Erdos devoted his life in a symbiotic capacity to other mathematicians illustrates a spiritual connectedness to other beings, and that any material rewards that came his way is forwarded to those who needed it. And the fact that he's celibate. :o)

Timely FYI that came into my science news feed today:

BTW, I'm taking particular notice of the prime number 17 because Ulam put 17 in the center of his square spiral. (p.107 pb) 17 happens to be the day of my birthday. And now, the largest known prime number has 17 million digits! I'm seeing 17 everywhere. :oD

Finally got this book from my library (interlibrary loan) and plan to start it on Monday. Excited to delve into it since I read another book by the same author which was excellent: Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight

I really enjoyed the book. Here is the link to my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

BetseaK wrote: "I really enjoyed the book. Here is the link to my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."

Nice review, BetseaK!

David wrote: "BetseaK wrote: "I really enjoyed the book. Here is the link to my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."

Nice review, BetseaK!"

Thank you, David! Double thank you, actually, as it was your review, in the first place, which drew my attention to this book and made me look for it. :)

Martina wrote: "I liked the book very much. Since I didn't know much about Paul Erdos beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised how informative this book is. The writing style is lively, which is a big plus. I've als..."

Martina wrote: "I liked the book very much. Since I didn't know much about Paul Erdos beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised how informative this book is. The writing style is lively, which is a big plus. I've als..."

I agree fully. I enjoyed the book, too. Thanks again, Martina! I liked you review very much.

I finished the book today. I read it in 5 days which I think is a record for me. I had read about the Erdos number in another book but cannot recall which one it was! I really enjoyed this book and attempted to write a review (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...) but mainly I think that Martina, BetseaK and David have nailed down the gist of this book.

Glynn wrote: "I finished the book today. I read it in 5 days which I think is a record for me. I had read about the Erdos number in another book but cannot recall which one it was! I really enjoyed this book and..."

Thank you, Glynn. I liked your review, too. It really captures the feel of the book.

As usual I am a couple of months behind in reading. This book is delightful so far. One of the best I've read this year -- I know it is still early in the year, but still a good read.

Thank you for your reviews and comments. I had not planned to read this one but now will chase down a copy and put it in the to-be-read group.