Product Description

This is the fifth edition of a work (first published in 1938) which has become the standard introduction to the subject. The book has grown out of lectures delivered by the authors at Oxford, Cambridge, Aberdeen, and other universities. It is neither a systematic treatise on the theory of numbers nor a 'popular' book for non-mathematical readers. It contains short accounts of the elements of many different sides of the theory, not usually combined in a single volume; and, although it is written for mathematicians, the range of mathematical knowledge presupposed is not greater than that of an intelligent first-year student. In this edition the main changes are in the notes at the end of each chapter; Sir Edward Wright seeks to provide up-to-date references for the reader who wishes to pursue a particular topic further and to present, both in the notes and in the text, a reasonably accurate account of the present state of knowledge.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #482075 in Books
• Published on: 1980-04-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 456 pages

Customer Reviews

Essential Classic
For the amateur (or student) enthusiast of Number Theory, this is clearly (and resoundingly) the essential reference book. It is dated (very dated), but still contains a good and thorough grounding in the subject with unmatched prose from the masters.

That said, this book doesn't treat the theory in the way that a modern student or professional needs to treat it, and of course, it is very old now. So, if you want up-to-date coverage you have to have other books, too.

For personal use, I tend to look in here for (traditional) definitions and some approaches to older theorems, but never to explore the proofs in detail. For those, I use more modern texts.

classique parmi les classiques: an enthralling book
it is surprising to find that so few people have anything to say about this book; Hardy was a giant among mathematicians and at last this book is translated in french...but only two reviews...I must add that although it is an old book, the younger author saw that it was updated through 5 editions in the 20th century; this book cannot truly become obsolete because it is about number theory from an elementary viewpoint; so no complex analysis, no modular forms and no proof of Fermat's last theorem but a wealth of results that could keep you busy quite for a while. De plus certaines preuves n'ont vraiment pas vieilli et restent valables au niveau de l'enseignement secondaire; ainsi la plupart des démonstrations concernant les fonctions arithmétiques peuvent se retrouver dans des ouvrages plus récents comme le livre de Natanson: Elementary methods in number theory qui tout de même prouve le theorème tauberien de Littlewood via la méthode de Karamata. Let say it again: a wonderful book.

If you want to learn mathematics, study the masters, not ...
the pupils - N.H. Abel

If you want to follow the advice of N.H. Abel, then you should definitely read this book, written by two of the greatest number theorists of their generation. Even though this book was first published in 1938, it has still retained
its charm and importance. Witness the innumerable citations for this book.

The reason for that is the selection of topics and their masterly presentation. But coming from such luminaries, what else could you expect.

And yes, this is the book, your professors turn to.