Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem.

Simon Singh. New York: Walker, 1997.

Pierre de Fermat, a seventeenth-century French judge who had a gift for math, inspired generations of mathematicians when he left a small note in the margin of a mathematical text. In it, he proclaimed he could prove that [x.sup.n] + [y.sup.n] = [z.sup.n] had no whole number solutions when "n" is greater than 2. This has become known as Fermat's last theorem and although it seems simple enough, the proof long evaded the greatest mathematical minds. No one has ever discovered Fermat's original proof (if it ever existed) and the theorem remained unsolved until 1993 when Andrew Wiles, a Princeton professor, stunned the international mathematics community when he announced that he had a proof.

This book details Wiles' incredible story from the time he first encountered the theorem as a child of ten, through seven years of solitary and secret toil on the proof, to his announcement of a solution which proves false, to his finally solving the problem a year later in a moment of inspiration.

And you will discover a variety of human interest stories involving other mathematicians who contributed to the eventual solution. These include: Yutaka Taniyama, one of those most instrumental in the Fermat solution, who killed himself in 1958 because he was not confident about his future; Sophia Germain, living in the nineteenth century, who was forced to take on the identity of a man to pursue her passion in a field that was forbidden to women; Evariste Galois, whose advances in mathematics were ultimately vital to Wiles' proof, and who was tragically killed in a duel over a woman; and Paul Wolfskehl, a German industrialist who believed working on Fermat's last theorem saved him from suicide, and demonstrated his gratitude by establishing a lucrative prize in 1908 for anyone who could find a proof. (Andrew Wiles claimed it in 1997.)

The book also describes with great clarity the intricacies of the mathematics that were involved in the solution. In sum, Fermat's Enigma shows a mathematical world full of passion, disappointment, excitement, and dedication. If you think mathematics isn't romantic, think again. By the book's triumphant end I was ready to shout "Hurrah." (For a visual supplement to Singh's story, I recommend "The Proof," a Nova PBS documentary whose compelling narrative illuminates the story of Wiles' magnificent achievement.)