About this title: 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. ...
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, New York
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780521427067ISBN:0521427061
Description: Good. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Underlining & notes to text; binding tight; 6" crease to front cover, else moderate wear & store stickers to covers. 153 pages. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 1969
ISBN-13:9780521095778ISBN:0521095778
Description: Fair in poor dust jacket. Binding flexible a good amount, separated from spine some, some edge wear/damage to dust jacket. Clean pages. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 1992-01-31
ISBN-13:9780521427067ISBN:0521427061
Description: Like New. Like new softcover in excellent condition, no writing, non-smoking home, clean text, binding tight, Christian business. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 1992-01-31
ISBN-13:9780521427067ISBN:0521427061
Description: Very Good. Tight, bright, uncreased spine, pages clear and bright, shelf and edge wear, corners bumped, cover lift, ships in a box, delivery confirmation on all U.S. orders. read more
Description: Very Good+ 0521095778. Cambridge University Press; reprint; 1969; 153 pages in wraps. Crisp book, mild edgewear. Previous owner's name on blank page. Else fine.; 12mo 7"-7½" tall. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 1969
ISBN-13:9780521095778ISBN:0521095778
Description: Fair. No dust jacket as issued. Highlighting/underlining. Copy has red underlining on fewer than 10 pages (I count 6). Worn. Rear cover has 4 very small chips (puppy teeth? ) from bottom. Edges are lightly soiled. Previous owner's name stamped on fep.... Foreword by C.P. Snow read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: CAMBRIDGE University PRESS
Date Published: 1967
Description: Good in None jacket. Ships with US tracking number. VG clean text, solid binding, NO dust jacket. Prev owner name blacked out inside cover. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 1969
ISBN-13:9780521095778ISBN:0521095778
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Spine is solid (uncreased)-covers show light shelfwear (one corner crease) and light fading, otherwise fine-all pages are tight and unmarked-a nice copy. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Cambridge University Press 1981
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780521095778ISBN:0521095778
Description: ISBN 0521095778. Trade Paperback. Tight sound copy with average wear, but pretty much a tight sound reading copy only due to heavy underlining to the interior text. read more
"G.H. Hardy argues that mathematics should be studied, not primarily for its utility, but for its aesthetics. He gives the best description that I have read of mathematical beauty, including the qualities of surprise, generality, and depth. These qualities give the study of mathematics permanent value."
"As Hardy pointed out himself, criticisms are work of second-rate mind. This book is awesome, it sheds so much light on what is going on inside mathematician's mind. I particularly like the part when he argues why mathematics is beautiful, and what constitutes a beautiful mathematical theorem."
"I was a bit put off by what I felt was an arrogant attitude in the beginning - but then he began to actually talk about math. It's clear he's much better at that than discourse on what it means to be a poet or painter. By the end, when you could really tell he was trying to make a big sweeping point about the worth of his existence and work, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy. I mean look at this, "It is indeed rather astonishing how little practical value scientific knowledge has for ordinary men, how dull and commonplace such of it as has value is, and how its value seems almost to vary inversely to its reputed utility". Talk about a downer! Chin up, dude. Math rocks."
"Despite how well known it is, and how many say it speaks for mathematics, I am unable to give this book a high rating. I doubt the less-than-stellar 50 page introduction to a 100 page book biased me against the actual A Mathematician's Apology. The Apology is a long-winded, repetitive statement of a few core beliefs of mathematics professors: that pure math is better than applied, that logic is better than reality, and that they can take satisfaction that their actions will neither help nor harm the human race.
The good parts are where he tries to illustrate mathematics, but even at that, The Man Who Loved only Numbers does a better job. This isn't to say there aren't good reasons to read this book: it's a fast read, it's short, and it contains a period description of prewar high academia in England."
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