Constance Reid Livres

On April 1, 1933, he was an internationally famous and influential German professor, the director of the first institute in the world devoted entirely to mathematics, a trusted adviser of the education ministry, a successful author and editor, a man surrounded by a mathematical family of gifted students. Eight days later, he was dismissed from his position by the Nazis. Through friends, he obtained a modest position in the United States at a university with no mathematical reputation whatsoever.

Now in new trade paper editions, these classic biographies of two of the greatest 20th Century mathematicians are being released under the Copernicus imprint. These noteworthy accounts of the lives of David Hilbert and Richard Courant are closely related: Courant's story is, in many ways, seen as the sequel to the story of Hilbert. Originally published to great acclaim, both books explore the dramatic scientific history expressed in the lives of these two great scientists and described in the lively, nontechnical writing style of Contance Reid.

Jerzy Neyman received the National Medal of Science "for laying the foundations of modern statistics and devising tests and procedures that have become essential parts of the knowledge of every statistician." Until his death in 1981 at the age of 87, Neyman was vigorously involved in the concerns and controversies of the day, a scientist whose personality and activity were integral parts of his contribution to science. His career is thus particularly well-suited for the non-technical life-story which Constance Reid has made her own in such well-received biographies of Hilbert and Courant. She was able to talk extensively with Neyman and have access to his personal and professional letters and papers. Her book will thus appeal to professional statisticians as well as amateurs wanting to learn about a subject which permeates almost every aspect of modern life.

A combination of number lore, number history, and descriptions of the simply stated, but difficult problems posed by the ordinary numbers that first appeared in 1955.