Ramanujan: Letters and Commentary (History of Mathematics) [Hardcover]

Bruce C. Berndt (Author), Robert A. Rankin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0821802879 | ISBN-13: 978-0821802878 | Publication Date: August 1995

The letters that Ramanujan wrote to G. H. Hardy on January 16 and February 27, 1913, are two of the most famous letters in the history of mathematics. These and other letters introduced Ramanujan and his remarkable theorems to the world and stimulated much research, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. This book brings together many letters to, from, and about Ramanujan. The letters came from the National Archives in Delhi, the Archives in the State of Tamil Nadu, and a variety of other sources. Helping to orient the reader is the extensive commentary, both mathematical and cultural, by Berndt and Rankin; in particular, they discuss in detail the history, up to the present day, of each mathematical result in the letters. Containing many letters that have never been published before, this book will appeal to those interested in Ramanujan's mathematics as well as those wanting to learn more about the personal side of his life.

Ramanujan: Letters and Commentary was selected for the CHOICE list of Outstanding Academic Books for 1996.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This commendable collection ... is a unique contribution to the history of mathematics for at least two reasons. It has brought together precious documents scattered in many places and provides the reader with a wealth of interesting matters related to one of the luminaries in the world of mathematics. Second, through brief and insightful notes and commentaries, the work throws light on many an interesting side street connecting to the grand avenue of knowledge on which we are riding. With resuscitations of some fading photographs and an impressive list of more than 300 references, this book is a very valuable addition to the literature on Ramanujan." ---- Choice

"Delightful reading ... a useful reference on English analysts and number theorists of Hardy's time ... has many pictures, some of them quite marvelous ... What Berndt and Rankin have done is to make a great deal of primary material available to ... scholars." ---- Zentralblatt MATH

"Berndt and Rankin have produced a book that should appeal to everyone with an interest in mathematics ... what better way to understand the man behind the mathematician Ramanujan than to read letters written by him and about him? Berndt, with the experience he has gained editing Ramanujan's notebooks, and Rankin, one of the veterans in this field who knew Hardy, Littlewood, Watson, and other British contemporaries of Ramanujan, have combined perfectly to produce this book." ---- American Mathematical Monthly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 347 pages
• Publisher: Amer Mathematical Society (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821802879
• ISBN-13: 978-0821802878
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,032,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get personal with Ramanujan through letters, January 4, 2002

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ramanujan: Letters and Commentary (History of Mathematics) (Hardcover)

Ramanujan was most certainly the most talented mathematician of this century. With essentially no formal training, he managed to discover an enormous number of formulas, many of which were quite different from those previously known. The story of how he came to the attention of the mathematical community and was brought into "formal" mathematical circles is an interesting one. Given the colonial nature of the relationship between England and India, it would have been "natural" for the English mathematicians to consider an untrained colonial native to be beneath them. However, to their credit, there is no evidence that the English mathematicians ever felt or acted this way.
This book is the story of Ramanujan told through the letters that were written by and about him. While many are very formal, you still see the personalities emerging. G.H. Hardy is at times in awe of Ramanujan's ability, proving to be a person of high quality as he tries as best he can to aid him in adapting to British society and to doing mathematics in a formal way. Many others are also involved, and it is clear that they do have a genuine interest in his welfare as a person and as a mathematician. The commentary included among the letters is very helpful in establishing a context for the text. The authors do a very good job in explaining the circumstances of the letters. Some deal with social conditions and others are as simple as a description of what a word means.
What is most impressive about the book is that there is no undercurrent of colonial class consciousness running through the material in the letters. Given the situation in the early part of the twentieth century, that would have been typical of most English men of the times and it is a tribute to the mathematicians that they avoided it. Not many others would have been so noble.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.