books on important figures in the history of math/science

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Does anyone know of any good books on the lives and research of great scientists or mathematicians?

― A Nairn (moretap), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 03:53 (twenty-three years ago)

or NOVA specials
or just any interesting stories or facts

― A Nairn (moretap), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 04:01 (twenty-three years ago)

"Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman" -abt the physicist
"Longitude" by Dava Sobel

― lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 04:03 (twenty-three years ago)

James Gleick's biography of Feynman was good. He's got a new short-ish one out about Newton.

Bruce Duffy's 'The World As I Found It' is a novel about Wittgenstein (and Russell and Moore) that is interesting. And odd.

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 04:04 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/archimedes/

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 04:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Wittgenstein's Poker is a great history of an ten-minute argument between Two-Fisted Ludwig Wittgenstein and Karl Popper. There's a lot of great background stuff, including biographies.

Seconded on "Surely you're joking..." Feynman is the anti-hero of his own autobiography.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 11:00 (twenty-three years ago)

We've (Collins) just published a rather fine biog of Robert Hooke which I have been meaning to read for weeks now.

― Alan (Alan), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 11:08 (twenty-three years ago)

To go along with what Andrew suggested, "Unended Quest: An Intellectual Autobiography" by Karl Popper is really good and contains a description of that famous incident from Popper's pov and other fun stuff.

― Bryan (Bryan), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 11:17 (twenty-three years ago)

I've not seen the movie (nor do I plan to -- Russell Crowe gives me the creeps), but "A Beautiful Mind" by Sylvia something-or-other is a good biography of mathematician John Nash. I didn't know much about game theory -- still don't, really -- but I found the book quite accessible and interesting.

― quincie, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 15:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm also quite into Oppenheimer. Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" is fabulous and goes into quite a bit of detail about the lives of many atomic-era scientists (as well as the big names in early atomic research. . . Rutherford, Bohr, etc.). Quite a fantastic book -- I highly recommend it.

― quincie, Wednesday, 1 October 2003 15:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Should I big up Quest of the Delta Knights?

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 15:22 (twenty-three years ago)

All books by JAmes Burke have a tendency to involve these types in them.

also, any book on Nikola Tesla has bound to be interesting. i think _the Wizard_ is good, but there has to be more.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 15:56 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll echo the recommendation for the Feynmann book. Also that book about Erdös, "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers" or something like that, has gotten rave reviews from my friends, though I haven't read it.

In another way, "Banvard's Folly" has some stories about people who didn't end up celebrated (although some of them were somewhat important, including the guy who created the Concord grape).

― Chris P (Chris P), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 16:41 (twenty-three years ago)

For a sweeping history of science, try "The Discovers" by Daniel Boorstin. One of my favorite books and the one that got me hooked on non-fiction!

― Tomasino Jones (tomasinojones), Wednesday, 1 October 2003 18:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Also John Banville's Kepler

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 2 October 2003 09:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Second Wittgenstein's Poker. Also, Ray Monk's excellent biographies on Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell (the latter in two long, harrowing volumes.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Thursday, 2 October 2003 09:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Russell's autobiog is pretty good stuff, from what I remember. Don't know if it's still in print.

― Sam (chirombo), Thursday, 2 October 2003 09:30 (twenty-three years ago)

not quite maths / science but...

steven levi's 'Hackers' about the rise of MIT computer department.
simon singh's 'The Code Book' about the history of cryptography and the people behind it.

andy

― koogs (koogs), Thursday, 2 October 2003 16:47 (twenty-three years ago)

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