The Mathematical Coloring Book

I have never encountered a book of this kind.  The best description of it I can give is that it is a mystery novel… I found it hard to stop reading before I finished (in two days) the whole text. Soifer engages the reader's attention not only mathematically, but emotionally and esthetically.  May you enjoy the book as much as I did!

–Branko Grünbaum

University of Washington


You are doing great service to the community by taking care of the past, so the things are better understood in the future.

–Stanislaw P. Radziszowski, Rochester Institute of Technology

 They [Van der Waerden’s sections] meet the highest standards of historical scholarship.

–Charles C. Gillispie, Princeton University


You have dug up a great deal of information – my compliments!

–Dirk van Dalen, Utrecht University


I have just finished reading your (second) article "in search of van der Waerden". It is a masterpiece, I could not stop reading it... Congratulations!

–Janos Pach, Courant Institute of Mathematics

"Mathematical Coloring Book" will (we can hope) have a great and salutary influence on all writing on mathematics in the future.“ 

–Peter D. Johnson Jr., Auburn University


Just now a postman came to the door with a copy of the masterpiece of the century. I thank you and the mathematics community should thank you for years to come. You have set a standard for writing about mathematics and mathematicians that will be hard to match.


–Harold W. Kuhn, Princeton University


The beautiful and unique Mathematical coloring book of Alexander Soifer is another case of ``good mathematics''… and presenting mathematics as both a science and an art… It is difficult to explain how much beautiful and good mathematics is included and how much wisdom about life is given.

–Peter Mihók, Mathematical Reviews