Rating: 
Summary: It's got that certain "can't put it down" feel
Review: This is a fascinating and very well-written book about a singular problem in mathematics history. Derbyshire presents a look at the history of the Riemann hypothesis (or is it "conjecture"? Derbyshire asks, as an aside, what the real difference is between the two, in mathematical terminology) -- the people and their political context as well as the equation and efforts to prove it.As a blessing to those of us who are not hard-core mathematicians, Derbyshire takes the approach of alternating chapters between (even numbered chapters) math and (odd chapters) people and context. This gives the effect of telling two intimately linked stories simultaneously, and keeping the reader in just a bit of suspense in each while telling the other. I found myself enjoying each of the two tales, yet impatient to see where the other was going next. Derbyshire's style of writing is thoroughly entertaining, as well. His personality comes through as someone who is a "fan" of math. In "Peanuts", the late, great Charles Shultz has Lucy commenting to Schroeder that Beethoven couldn't have been so great, because he never had his picture on bubble-gum cards. It is apparent that if there was ever a set of mathematical gurus bubble-gum cards, Derbyshire would have been a collector. His admiration for genius only added to my enjoyment of the book. Derbyshire directly lets you know which people he holds in high esteem. He clearly honors those with a work ethic, those with dedication to their craft, family, and faith. He almost apologetically admits his appreciation for these sympathetic characters with a style reminiscent of a sports broadcaster who is also quietly rooting for "the good guys" -- not the home team, but the high-character-quality players. Thomas Boswell and George Will both use a similar "aw shucks, I just LIKE the guy" style when writing about Cal Ripken. In any case, Derbyshire reveals his own character by telling which mathematicians he likes best and why. Similarly, his humility in how he presents the mathematical concepts is also telling. Derbyshire has obviously had to cut some strong math chops to be able to understand and present all that he does, as clearly as he does, and he repeatedly comments on keeping the level down to where most readers can comprehend -- yet he does all this in a self-deprecating fashion that made me comfortable to keep reading and learning. Even when the math was more than I wanted to plow through, I just read those parts lightly and kept going, and Derbyshire's style kept the story together through that. As an engineer and semi-pop-science geek wannabe, I found this book to be a bit heavy on math theory and a bit light on applications for my tastes. Derbyshire admits this tendency, to the effect that once the theoretical knowledge is gained, people will find applications for it. That's Derbyshire's point of view, and another glimpse of his character. It makes me want to meet him -- he seems to be the type of person who would be a good friend. I wouldn't classify this as a "must read", but it is a very good read. It is both entertaining and educational. I'm not quite sure why I picked it up, but once I did I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Read. Well Done
Review: John Derbyshire has done a great job with Prime Obsession. I am not a mathematician and I'd never even heard of the Riemann Hypothesis, but Derbyshire feeds it to you a bite at a time, and I think I now at least understand what all the excitement is about. Derbyshire doesn't pretend it's easy and doesn't spare you any of the necessary math, but he makes it as palatable as it can be made, I think, and gives just as much as you need.
I agree with the statement in his prologue: "If you don't understand the Hypothesis after finishing my book, you can be pretty sure you will never understand it."
When you get overloaded with math, there is plenty of historical and biographical detail to keep your attention--some physics, too. The writing is fluent and occasionally beautiful. The book's epilogue, where we say goodbye to Bernhard Riemann, is actually very moving.
And the footnotes are wonderful! This is a nonfiction book, but Derbyshire is a natural novelist, and it shows--he has made a really good story out of the Riemann Hypothesis.
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Rating:
Summary: What a piece of work a man is!
Review: "Prime Obsession" is a fascinating book for several reasons: the author explains a difficult topic with such clarity that it's simply amazing. For those who are more skilled in math, this book would also be very enjoyable to read, except that they might find some of his explanations redundant because he really assumes that the we don't know anything (and I mean anything!).
Mr. Derbyshire obviously understands the topic quite well himself. He has written an amazing book for everyone to enjoy.
200 years since Riemann first presented the problem, we are still desperately trying to solve it, and one day, you never know... what a piece of work a man is!
Rating:
Summary: It's got that certain "can't put it down" feel
Review: This is a fascinating and very well-written book about a singular problem in mathematics history. Derbyshire presents a look at the history of the Riemann hypothesis (or is it "conjecture"? Derbyshire asks, as an aside, what the real difference is between the two, in mathematical terminology) -- the people and their political context as well as the equation and efforts to prove it. As a blessing to those of us who are not hard-core mathematicians, Derbyshire takes the approach of alternating chapters between (even numbered chapters) math and (odd chapters) people and context. This gives the effect of telling two intimately linked stories simultaneously, and keeping the reader in just a bit of suspense in each while telling the other. I found myself enjoying each of the two tales, yet impatient to see where the other was going next. Derbyshire's style of writing is thoroughly entertaining, as well. His personality comes through as someone who is a "fan" of math. In "Peanuts", the late, great Charles Shultz has Lucy commenting to Schroeder that Beethoven couldn't have been so great, because he never had his picture on bubble-gum cards. It is apparent that if there was ever a set of mathematical gurus bubble-gum cards, Derbyshire would have been a collector. His admiration for genius only added to my enjoyment of the book. Derbyshire directly lets you know which people he holds in high esteem. He clearly honors those with a work ethic, those with dedication to their craft, family, and faith. He almost apologetically admits his appreciation for these sympathetic characters with a style reminiscent of a sports broadcaster who is also quietly rooting for "the good guys" -- not the home team, but the high-character-quality players. Thomas Boswell and George Will both use a similar "aw shucks, I just LIKE the guy" style when writing about Cal Ripken. In any case, Derbyshire reveals his own character by telling which mathematicians he likes best and why. Similarly, his humility in how he presents the mathematical concepts is also telling. Derbyshire has obviously had to cut some strong math chops to be able to understand and present all that he does, as clearly as he does, and he repeatedly comments on keeping the level down to where most readers can comprehend -- yet he does all this in a self-deprecating fashion that made me comfortable to keep reading and learning. Even when the math was more than I wanted to plow through, I just read those parts lightly and kept going, and Derbyshire's style kept the story together through that. As an engineer and semi-pop-science geek wannabe, I found this book to be a bit heavy on math theory and a bit light on applications for my tastes. Derbyshire admits this tendency, to the effect that once the theoretical knowledge is gained, people will find applications for it. That's Derbyshire's point of view, and another glimpse of his character. It makes me want to meet him -- he seems to be the type of person who would be a good friend. I wouldn't classify this as a "must read", but it is a very good read. It is both entertaining and educational. I'm not quite sure why I picked it up, but once I did I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Reads Like a Gripping Mystery
Review: Prime Obsession is a delight: a book about a hypothesis on the distribution of prime numbers that reads like a gripping mystery. Most fiction isn't this vivid, moving, and well written, and this is no fiction. It is history, biography, philosophy, and, yes, mathematics brought to life with wit and wonder. You have to read this extraordinary book. This is the story of the Reimann Hypothesis, the greatest unsolved problem in mathematics today. Here it is in all its glory: "All non-trivial zeros of the zeta function have real part one-half." What on earth does it mean? Mr. Derbyshire, a gifted storyteller, takes the reader on an exhilarating journey of discovery as he painstakingly illuminates the meaning, mystery, and power of those eleven short words. I have never taken a course in calculus and am intimidated by even moderately complex math notation. There's lots of that in this book, and I had my doubts I could get through it. But Mr. Derbyshire knows that some of his readers will have fear of flying, or only be able to fly for short distances, so he patiently breaks scary-looking formulae into bite-size pieces and gives you the general rules you need to know to digest them. He knows how to explain things with crystal clarity and easy wit. And the man knows how to turn a phrase. Still, he does not coddle his readers, so you need to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and fasten your seat belt. This is a challenging book, no bones about it. I needed to read it twice just to get a passing feel for chunks of it. Why, you may ask, would I twice read a book I had difficulty comprehending? Because with Mr. Derbyshire's gentle urging I could glimpse the beauty and feel the deep wonder of Bernhard Riemann's hypothesis, even if it remained just beyond grasp. And this was enough, more than enough, to rivet my attention for days and give me hours of entertaining, informative reading. This is a gem of book. It left me gasping for air and wanting more. I cannot more strongly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: What a piece of work a man is!
Review: "Prime Obsession" is a fascinating book for several reasons: the author explains a difficult topic with such clarity that it's simply amazing. For those who are more skilled in math, this book would also be very enjoyable to read, except that they might find some of his explanations redundant because he really assumes that the we don't know anything (and I mean anything!).
Mr. Derbyshire obviously understands the topic quite well himself. He has written an amazing book for everyone to enjoy.
200 years since Riemann first presented the problem, we are still desperately trying to solve it, and one day, you never know... what a piece of work a man is!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read, Highly Recommended
Review: Prime Obsession is an excellent popularization of the Riemann Hypothesis. I found John Derbyshire's presentation of the math to be very approachable by non-mathematicians like myself. It's taken slow, one basic step at a time, and spread across a well written and fascinating history of Bernhard Riemann and other key players. Simply put, you do not need an advance degree in mathematics to enjoy this book. My math bakground is limited to 2 semesters of calculus 20 years ago and I haven't used it since. For me, John Derbyshire's approach was both refreshing and entertaining. If you've got even the faintest interest in math, you will find this book rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: Good overview
Review: This book accomplishes two things very well. It explains the history behind the Riemann Hypothesis and also the relevant mathematics. I like how the author structured the book and also how he simplified the math somewhat. However, the math contained in this book can be challenging if you don't have any background. I would recommend a basic understanding of calculus if you want to understand the math. However, the math is kept separate from the history, so if you just want a historical overview, then this book will also work well. I recommend this book to anyone interested in math and math history.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this one for the pure entertainment value of it all.
Review: I found this to be a rather delightful book with its arrangement of chapters alternating between historical point of view back to mathematical progress and then back to historical. I found it very entertaining to read about the lives of the great mathematicians involved in developing the prime number theory and furthering the study of the Riemann Hypothesis. Mathematics is littered with such interesting characters that even a liberal arts major can enjoy these expository stories of their lives. The only downside to this whole book is that he takes too much time for the non-math inclined readers to get 'caught up' with their basic skills before he jumps to anything interesting. If you have a background that is strong through calculus, then you could probably avoid reading all the math-based chapters up through the end of the prime number theory section of the book, and you most likely woud not have missed a thing.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing hypothesis in it's historical context
Review: Writing a book about an unproven mathematical hypothesis and coupling it to a biography of a great mathematician, whose life was short and poorly documented, is a daunting task. Yet, Derbyshire has made a valiant effort in revealing intricate details of the Riemann Hypothesis (RH) and providing the history of the so far elusive proof or refutation. In many ways this book mirrors Simon Singh's book of Fermat's Last Theorem. While I do prefer Singh's book over Derbyshire's, I will be the first to admit that the former author did have a much easier task with the final proof being at hand. I greatly enjoyed the first 250 pages of this book, where chapters alternate between math and history/biography, but was a little disappointed by the rest. I agree with a previous reviewer who remarked that the second half of the book often gives the impression of being hurried on it's way to the printer. RH is one of the instances where "the realm of the deeper order" that normally only can be accessed by self-professed mystics can be laid out in a rather simple combination of mathematical symbols. Indeed, Riemann's work linking the infinite series called the zeta function to the frequency of prime numbers, reveals an equally unlikely and beautiful hidden truth. Especially in the first part of the book Derbyshire does a great job in giving those with limited mathematical background a good idea of Riemann's work and that of his predecessors/successors. To me the alternating of mathematical and historical chapters worked great and put the science in a very well described historic context. Yet, beyond the halfway point the author decides to postpone Riemann's "turning of the golden key" and to focus on the world after Riemann. At that point the text looses a lot of it's strength. While I recognize, that it is hard to turn "unfinished business" into truly interesting material, Mozart's Requiem and Schubert's 8th Symphony being major exceptions, I do think that this book would have benefited from a redesign of the structure of the second part. As such, treating Riemann's "turning of the golden key" in sequence, in stead of at the end of the book would have made much more sense. Despite this criticism I recommend this book to anyone with a true interest in mathematics; even to those who have limited background in the field, since Derbyshire brings great clarity to many aspects of advanced mathematics. At the very end the author discusses whether RH is true or not and gives his opinion that the (dys)proof may still be a while in the future. Whether true or false does not really matter, truth is more interesting as the object of searching than of finding, anyhow.
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