Product Description

G. H. Hardy was one of this century’s finest mathematical thinkers, renowned among his contemporaries as a ‘real mathematician … the purest of the pure’. He was also, as C. P. Snow recounts in his Foreword, ‘unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready to talk about anything’. This ‘apology’, written in 1940 as his mathematical powers were declining, offers a brilliant and engaging account of mathematics as very much more than a science; when it was first published, Graham Greene hailed it alongside Henry James’s notebooks as ‘the best account of what it was like to be a creative artist’. C. P. Snow’s Foreword gives sympathetic and witty insights into Hardy’s life, with its rich store of anecdotes concerning his collaboration with the brilliant Indian mathematician Ramanujan, his aphorisms and idiosyncrasies, and his passion for cricket. This is a unique account of the fascination of mathematics and of one of its most compelling exponents in modern times.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45586 in Books
• Published on: 1992-01-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 153 pages

Review
‘Generations of readers, both in and out of mathematics, have read Apology as one of the most eloquent descriptions in our language of the pleasure and power of mathematical invention.’ The New Yorker

‘Great mathematicians rarely write about themselves or about their work, and few of them would have the literary gift to compose an essay of such charm, candour and insight … a manifesto for mathematics itself.’ The Guardian

‘Hardy’s book is carefully reasoned, beautifully written and very stimulating; … it can profitably be read by anyone.’ New Scientist

'A beautiful book written by a leading mathematician of the time.' BBC Focus

Customer Reviews

Two Books in One
This is a delightful read. The foreword by C.P. Snow takes up approximately one-third of the book, and is effectively a short biography of Hardy. It follows his life from late Victorian public school, to Trinity at Cambridge, then to New College Oxford, and then back to Cambridge. His initial decision to go to Cambridge came after reading “A Fellow of Trinity” by “Alan St Aubyn” – this is apparently not one of the world’s greatest works of literature, but I just have to read it now to see what was in it that could inspire him so strongly!
CP Snow paints a delightful picture of the life of an honest, eccentric, and intellectually gifted man – a life revolving around academia in general, mathematics, cricket, radical ideas and some superb eccentricities. Hardy was suspicious of all things mechanical – “If you fancy yourself at the telephone, there is one in the other room”. This book is worth reading for the foreword alone.

Hardy’s work then follows, written in a series of short, pithy chapters, a bit too long to be called aphorisms, but each almost stands alone in placing an argument, crafted in step-by-step fashion, as you would expect of a mathematician. Now, maybe my interpretation of Hardy’s words is different to others, but for me, although he concentrates on the rights or wrongs of devoting one’s life to pure mathematics, discussing how “worthwhile” mathematics is as a profession, I think you can read this as an argument on the merits or otherwise of any human endeavour. He basically concludes that it is far better to exercise to the full whatever talent one has, than do undistinguished work in other fields. There’s more depth to it than that of course, all very readable, and an interesting set of views for those faced with an awkward crossroads in life!

Classic text: required reading for all mathematicians
Quite simply: if you are 'doing' mathematics, or if you are about to embark on a course of study in mathematics or the philosophy of mathematics, then you must read this book.
It is not only a record of the deepest thoughts of one of the central figures in 20th century mathematics, it is also a joy to read. Succinct, compelling and utterly candid this book like no other captures the attitude of the mathematician of the last century. If you want to know why this book explains it. Suprisingly, by understatement, Hardy manages nevertheless to reveal a passion for intellectual beauty which takes the breath, and possibly the soul, away.

An accessible insight into the life of a mathematician
This is a good book for people intersted in mathematics, no prior knowledge needed! It discusses how mathematics is important in the everyday world. I would recommend this book especially to mathematics students (or prospective ones) as wider reading. It is interesting to see how in Hardy's time, less than sixty years ago, areas of mathematics that had no obvious use and were studied purely for their beauty have become the centre of importance in the computer and internet technology of today and the future with important applications and areas of research.