From the reviews: "... Each chapter of the book is followed by a notes section and by a problems section. There are over 100 problems, many of which have hints. The book may be recommended as a text, it provides a completly self-contained reading ..." --S. Pogosian in Zentralblatt für Mathematik
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Richard S. Ellis grew up in Boston and attended Harvard, where he majored in mathematics and German literature. He earned his Ph.D. at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. He then taught at Northwestern University and in 1975 joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is now a professor. Richard has published numerous papers in mathematics and related areas and is the author of two math books (the second with Paul Dupuis), which explore the theory of large deviations in probability theory.
Richard's experiences while living in Israel in 1982 and 1986 inspired him to teach the Torah and to lead a Jewish faculty group at UMass Amherst. These activities led to his appointment in 1998 as an adjunct professor in the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at UMass Amherst, where he has taught courses on the Book of Genesis, the Book of Job, and the writings of Franz Kafka. He has also published articles on the Torah, literature, art, and anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
Richard has lectured widely on his work in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. He has also had extensive experience with Buddhist meditation, having led a number of meditation groups and participated in retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. His personal web page offers detailed information about his work and his interests and can be viewed at http://www.math.umass.edu/~rsellis.
Richard is a father, a grandfather and a teacher, and he is married to a teacher. Besides his family, the loves of his life are many: mathematics, the Torah, Jewish and Buddhist spirituality, literature, bicycling, jazz, strong coffee, the music of Bach. Please email Richard at rsellis.pain.truth@gmail.com if you would like to share your experiences with pain, suffering, or healing.
Information about Richard's book, "Blinding Pain, Simple Truth," is available at http://RichardSEllis.com.
