The Unreal Life of Oscar Zariski

By Carol Parikh

Book Overview

2009

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0387094296
• ISBN13: 9780387094298
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Springer New York
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Mathematician in Turbulent Times

Carol Parikh's engaging bio of Oscar Zariski is a valuable contribution to the history of mathematics; it provides an understandable history of the development of algebraic geometry. The book also offers a valuable lesson in how political and racist vendettas have affected the "pure" science of mathematics and the lives of mathematicians. I came across her compelling book a year after publishing "A3 & His Algebra," the bio of A.A. Albert, who had a close collegial relationship with Zariski. The personal histories of both men demonstrate the importance of a free and open academic atmosphere to the development of scientific innovation. Nancy E. Albert, author of "A3 & His Algebra".