The Man Who Loved Only Numbers

Not to be confused with the PBS Nova episode "The Man Who Loved Numbers" (Season 15, Ep 19), about Ramanujan.
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers
Front cover
AuthorPaul Hoffman
Original titleThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdős and the Search for Mathematical Truth
LanguageEnglish
GenreBiography
PublishedJuly 15, 1998
PublisherHyperion Books
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages301 pp.
ISBN978-0786863624
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers describes how Paul Erdős visited Jon Folkman after Folkman awoke from surgery for brain cancer. To restore Folkman's confidence, Erdős immediately challenged him to solve mathematical problems.[1]

The Man Who Loved Only Numbers is a biography of the famous mathematician Paul Erdős written by Paul Hoffman. The book was first published on July 15, 1998, by Hyperion Books as a hardcover edition. A paperback edition appeared in 1999. The book is, in the words of the author, "a work in oral history based on the recollections of Erdős, his collaborators and their spouses". The book was a bestseller in the United Kingdom and has been published in 15 different languages. The book won the 1999 Rhône-Poulenc Prize, beating many distinguished and established writers, including E. O. Wilson.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Erdos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Prizes for Science Books previous winners and shortlists, The Royal Society website