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Man Who Knew Infinity
 
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Man Who Knew Infinity (Paperback)

by Robert Kanigel (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Price: £9.71 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (Jun 1992)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0671750615
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671750619
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.5 x 3.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 89,114 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #4 in  Books > Biography > Science, Mathematics & Technology > Mathematics

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Product Description

Review

'An exquisite portrait...the rarest of literary achievements...Ramanujan's tale is the stuff of fable' LOS ANGELES TIMES 'an exciting and thoughtful book... should catch the imagination of any reader- even the reader with little mathematical background.' INDEPENDENT 'This is a fine example of a work of popularising mathematics, and deserves a wide readership.' NEW SCIENTIST 'Enthralling... one of the best scientific biographies I've ever seen.' John Gribbin 'A vivid study of cultural contrasts.' OBSERVER 'A remarkable story... moving.' INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS IRELAND 'Robert Kanigel recounts as extraordinary a personal history as one could ever hope to encounter.' TES 'Poignant and Absorbing.' IRISH INDEPENDENT --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


INDEPENDENT

* "Fascinating, exciting and thoughtful" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful account of a truly phenomenal man, 7 April 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Man Who Knew Infinity: Life of the Genius Ramanujan (Paperback)
Ramanujan perhaps suffers a little from being such an extraordinary character - I'm surprised at how little-known his story is, and most accounts I've read seem rather superficial. Kanigel manages to make him sound like a man - a man with a uniqely sharp mathematical vision - but a human being nonetheless. What, I think, makes Kanigel's account so successful is his willingness to take Ramanujan's religious faith seriously and not to sideline it. He is very good at describing the two different worlds (South India and Cambridge) and letting us get a feel for the culture of each place. He also should take credit for attempting to describe some of the mathematics involved.

The Ramanujan story is, I believe, a sad one and Kanigel isn't scared to confront some of the issues that should anger some of us. Yes, Ramanujan was a phenomenon of which India should feel proud - but equally she should be shocked at how easily he could have lived his life undiscovered. Yes, Hardy should take credit for recognising Ramanujan's genius and taking him under his wing - but equally he allowed Ramanujan to live a lonely and in many way malnourished life in Britain. And so on. I think that this is an excellent, honest, book.

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and lacking in mathematical insight., 27 May 2005
This review is from: The Man Who Knew Infinity: Life of the Genius Ramanujan (Paperback)
I bought this book after reading many others on popular mathematics. I found the book very slow, with heavy repetition of only a few themes. While Ramanujan was clearly an incredible man the book concentrates mostly on the incidental parts of his life and largely ignores the mathematical details the area I believe that defined him as an incredible individual. There was virtually no detail of any of his mathematical achievements making rather a dry biography lacking in interesting detail.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A book you will read in one go, 12 Jul 2002
By GP Karman (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Man Who Knew Infinity: Life of the Genius Ramanujan (Paperback)
I had heard of Ramanujan before, but not being a mathematician myself, I never read anything on him so I bought this biography by Kanigel. I like the style in which it is written, it makes easy reading and keeps you fascinated throughout the book. I read it in 1-2 days. The book not only covers the mathematics and collaboration with Hardy in detail but also the tremendous 'sufferings' Ramanujan had to undergo, and the culture clash between the West and India.

The book is worth the money. The only drawback I can think of is the cheap look and feel of the paperback edition. This book is certainly worth to be published in hardcover edition. I give it 4 stars because way too many books in Amazon get overrated by 5 stars and I don't want to fool people. If you are like me, with no background in Ramanujan, just buy this book, it is very good.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good to read
I'm glad I read this even though I don't know much about maths, but I do know about the one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. H. D. Phillips

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent book that I have ever red
Srinivasa Ramanujan!What a great name and legend in the mathematical history. He is one of my favourite mathematician from my childhood. Read more
Published 11 months ago by H. R. Ellanki

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspirational account of the life of a Mathematical geniu
Srinivasa Ramanujan is rightly a member of the Mathematicians’ Hall of Fame. From humble beginnings in the small town of Kumbhakaon in Tamil Nadu to the hallowed cloisters... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2003 by jayjina

4.0 out of 5 stars A superb account of the life of the genius Ramanujan.
Kanigel weaves an entriguing biography from his extensive research into the life of Ramanujan. This text follows Ramanujan's journey from intellectual isolation to mathematical... Read more
Published on 10 Jul 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Once started, difficult to put down!
Robert Kanigel's research into the Ramanujan phenonenon is impressive. I knew very little about this genius and his contributions to pure mathematics. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2000

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