Letters to a Young Mathematician.

LETTERS TO A YOUNG MATHEMATICIAN

IAN STEWART 

The pursuit of mathematics as a profession, unlike that of law or medicine, is an underappreciated endeavor, writes Stewart, a professor of mathematics. Here he provides advice to students who nevertheless see math as their calling. In a series of letters addressed to a fictional budding mathematician named Meg, Stewart considers some of the common challenges faced by people studying math whether as high school students or tenured faculty. An important decision for all these math enthusiasts is the choice of whether to focus on pure or applied mathematics. Stewart advises that young mathematicians do both. He also addresses how mathematicians think and what they require as proof in their work. This book is a guide for people seeking to survive at all levels of the often-eccentric mathematical community. Perseus, 2006, 224 p., hardcover, $22.95.