G. H. Hardy

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.

A Mathematician's Apology

Ned Summers 

The book that convinced me of the wonder of mathematics still holds to that. makes me want to pursue an academic life.

Aditi

Since I have recommended this book to some friends, I'd better review it for them. It isn't going to be easy, just like the book wasn't easy to read, so here goes nothing:

1. This is an enlightening book, especially if you are looking to create some form of original work in academics. Are you planning on writing a doctorate thesis at some point? Read this, because it puts forth another academician's ideas about what a good contribution is. It helps that Hardy managed very well for himself. 

Even if you're not looking to pursue an academic career, it is still an insightful read in case at some point you would like to create something original.

It sheds light on the nature and characteristics of good work, and I think the principles may be extended to any field with modifications. It even warns well about addressing the audience with some respect, and gives proof of what happens when an author doesn't do that (Point 2).

2. This book was difficult to read, not so much due to the subject, or the words used to describe them, but because it is:

a. Addressed constantly and only to men-

This was a perennial distraction for me. I've never read anything else that excludes women so thoroughly. I was ridiculously relieved when he used the word "women" once in the last few pages of the books, which backhandedly described why he felt men were more valuable to society than women. Once charming sentence says something about "... parents clamouring for a useful education for their sons." 

I want to stress here that those of use who cannot travel in time are all moulded by the time we're embedded in, and so please don't put this book down in a fit of feminist outrage. Reading this also helped me appreciate how much more difficult lives must have been for women in those times, and before that. I appreciate where we are academically now with this insight. It boggled my mind, and it is what I will remember most about this very short book. Wow.

b. Addressed to people (men) already in the know-

This is particularly baffling as he makes it a point to say several times that the book was written for laypersons (laymen), and goes to some lengths to explain some math in easy terms. He refers to his peers by their names very often, and agrees with or refutes their work or arguments without explaining what they were. Perhaps people of his era then, or his profession now are aware of these gentlemen he refers to, and of what they said, but I could only read one side of the discussion- the author's, and so again, this book isn't written for a general audience. 

I may read this book again in the future, but simply due to point one, and as a text. I don't expect to derive any pleasure from that exercise. 

I do still recommend this book. Read it at least once, if just to understand how not to write about your work for laypeople.

A Mathematician's Apology

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