Basic Books Letters to a Young Mathematician

Satisfactory service. Gave it to my son.

Of course one cannot become a master in Mathematics without applying his own mind and effort. Letters to a young Mathematician provides an excellent ladder with full guidance to those who would aim in reaching and enjoy Mathematics at highest level. Any one who likes to grow further, this book shows him the way.

Letters to a Young Mathematician portrays the life of a mathematician to a hypothetical young woman pursuing a career as a mathematician. The author draws on his own experience as a mathematician to regal his readers with stories from his life but also some useful insights into just what the life of a mathamatician entails. There is information about the use and misuse of computers in mathematics, a chapter on getting over fear of proofs and many others. I found the authors depiction of the career of a mathematician interesting. This book is very easy to read as it does not include much in the way of math. If you are hoping to become a mathematician this book is very useful, but if you are just hoping to learn some math look elsewhere.

Thought provoking insight into what makes the minds of academic mathematicians tick.

If you have any interest in mathematics at all, you will enjoy this book. Like all of Stewart's books on mathematics, this is well-written, understandable, and interesting. The intended audience would be high-school students who are thinking about majoring in mathematics, college students who are majoring in mathematics, and the rest of us who wish we were smart enough to have majored in mathematics. Stewart talkes broadly about what the fields of math involve, including some philosophy of mathematics, which is a fascinating field in its own right. He provides advice on what its like to study math, teach math, and above all, DO math. The only downside of this book is the high price (in the bookstore) for such a small book. PolymathInTraining practiced unaccustomed frugality by reading this entire book in the bookstore for the price of a cup of coffee. But I will purchase it when it is released in paperback.