Stephen Smale: The Mathematician Who Broke the Dimension Barrier

Rating:
Summary: A marvelous book
Review: This book not only provides a useful description of some of the theory at a level technical enough to be satisfying, but also gives a fascinating view into the life and thinking of a Field's Medal winner (1966). Who would have guessed that the future Field's Medal Winner received a C in Calculus II and Physics and that he had a B- average Jr. year at the University of Michigan? And perhaps particularly heartening to those who have been through the graduate school experience, that he was less favored than Munkries and received an ultimatum from the chairman to improve (and that in graduate school, according to Raul Bott, Smale sat in the back and it wasn't clear he was always paying attention). But, of course, Smale more than redeems himself resulting in a storied career and a reputation that surpasses the boundaries of his specialties. This is a marvelous book.