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"Proof Positive": Review of Two Biographies of Paul Erdos. Reviewed by Robert Matthews. New Scientist, 1 August 1998, pages 40-41.
"Planning an Infinite Stay": Review of The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman. Reviewed by James Alexander. New York Times Book Review, 27 September 1998, page 33.
These articles review two recent biographies of the legendary mathematician Paul Erdos, who died in 1996: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman, and My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos, by Bruce Schecter. Erdos was a famously eccentric and prolific mathematician who, without a permanent home, traveled constantly to collaborate with hundreds of colleagues all over the world. The New Scientist reviewer prefers Schechter's book, which he says is better written, has better structure, and shows better judgment than the Hoffman book. However, he also says that both biographies "will provide rich entertainment---plus some insight into that age-old question: what on Earth do professional mathematicians do all day?" The New York Times reviewer appreciates the Hoffman biography for the way it "opens doors on a world and characters that are often invisible."
--- Allyn Jackson
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