Prime Obsession
Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (2003) is a historical book on mathematics by John Derbyshire, detailing the history of the Riemann hypothesis, named for Bernhard Riemann, and some of its applications.
Author
English
Joseph Henry Press
2003
United States
442
The book was awarded the Mathematical Association of America's inaugural Euler Book Prize in 2007.[1]
Audience and reception[edit]
According to reviewer S. W. Graham, the book is written at a level that is suitable for advanced undergraduate students of mathematics.[3] In contrast, James V. Rauff recommends it to "anyone interested in the history and mathematics of the Riemann hypothesis".[4]
Reviewer Don Redmond writes that, while the even-numbered chapters explain the history well, the odd-numbered chapters present the mathematics too informally to be useful, failing to provide insight to readers who do not already understand the mathematics, and failing even to explain the importance of the Riemann hypothesis.[2] Graham adds that the level of mathematics is inconsistent, with detailed explanations of basics and sketchier explanations of material that is more advanced. But for those who do already understand the mathematics, he calls the book "a familiar story entertainingly told".[3]