Paul Erdős 1913--1996. The man who loved only numbers (Q2782597)

This translation of Paul Hoffman's notable 1998 book (Zbl 0917.01035) is one of a series of books treating great scientific figures of their eras. In the style of a rambling extended conversation, the author sketches a rich portrait of Paul Erdős, his mathematics and opinions, and the milieu through which he moved, with the help of extended quotations from Erdős himself and many of his associates. Extended digressions provide the reader with the history and significance of Erdős's mathematical work. In particular, close to an entire chapter is devoted to Ron Graham, who was extremely close to Erdős and looked after his affairs during the last quarter of his life. Appended is a memorial essay by Gérald Tenenbaum, a revision of an obituary that appeared in Gaz. Math., Soc. Math. Fr. 71, 12-25 (1997; Zbl 0973.01052) and provides a more systematic and technical review of Erdős's mathematical achievements.