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For a modern popular math book I would recommend The Man Who Loved Only Numbers (by Paul Hoffman) about the life Paul Erdős. Is a great intro to the life of a w
by standupmaths 8y ago
For a modern popular math book I would recommend The Man Who Loved Only Numbers (by Paul Hoffman) about the life Paul Erdős. Is a great intro to the life of a working mathematician and a bit about proof.
The classic text is How To Solve It (by Georg Pólya). A bit antiquated but still good.
Beyond that: find an introductory text book to a subject and start trying the worked examples!
- fjsolwmv 8y agoIsn't that a bit misleading because Erdos was a famously unusual mathematician personality/lifestyle? I think focusing on Erdos as an intro fetishizes mathematicians/mathematics.
- standupmaths 8y agoGood point but the book is very clear about how unusual Erdős was and talks about the lives of more normal mathematicians he worked with.
- throwaway8521 8y agoThanks for the recommendations!
- maroonblazer 8y agoYou'd recommend Polya over "How to Prove It" by Velleman? Polya's seems more about general problem-solving techniques, versus proofs.