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"How Not to Solve It": Review of The Random Walks of George Polya, by Gerald Alexanderson, and Mathematical Fallacies, Flaws, and Flimflam, by Edward J. Barbeau. Reviewed by William J. Thompson. American Scientist, September-October 2000, pages 465-466.
The first of the two books under review is a "carefully researched hagiography" of the mathematician George Polya, who is perhaps most famous for his book How To Solve It. "Polya emphasized clear understanding and presentation of mathematical proofs," the reviewer writes, so it is appropriate to review the book about him together with a book that discusses erroneous mathematical results. Although the reviewer wishes the biography had more analysis of Polya's methods and less emphasis on chronology and personal details, he writes that "this is a good book, well worth the price and the time needed to read it." The reviewer also likes the other book and suggests that reading it together with Polya's How to Solve It would help one to "understand the power and pitfalls of Polya's methods."
--- Allyn Jackson
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