Notices of the American Mathematical Society: Volume 57 Number 2 - February 2010

ISSN 0002-9920 :: PaulErdos ? likedtotalkaboutTheBook,inwhichGodmaintainstheperfect proofsformathematicaltheorems,followingthedictumofG. H. Hardythat there is no permanent place for ugly mathematics. Erdos ? also said that you need not believe in God but, as a mathematician, you should believe in The Book. A few years ago, we suggested to him to write up a ?rst (and very modest) approximation to The Book. He was enthusiastic about the idea and, characteristically, went to work immediately, ?lling page after page with his suggestions. Our book was supposed to appear in March 1998 as a present to Erdos ? ’ 85th birthday. With Paul’s unfortunate death in the summer of 1996, he is not listed as a co-author. Instead this book is dedicated to his memory. ? Paul Erdos We have no de?nition or characterization of what constitutes a proof from The Book: all we offer here is the examples that we have selected, h- ing that our readers will share our enthusiasm about brilliant ideas, clever insights and wonderful observations. We also hope that our readers will enjoy this despite the imperfections of our exposition. The selection is to a ? great extent in?uencedby Paul Erdos himself. A largenumberof the topics were suggested by him, and many of the proofs trace directly back to him, or were initiated by his supreme insight in asking the right question or in makingthe rightconjecture. So to a largeextentthisbookre?ectstheviews of Paul Erdos ? as to what should be considered a proof from The Book. Front cover, February 2010 MacKichan Software AMS Mathematical Moments Birkhauser Table of Contents, February 2010 Opinion: Collaborating with Research Mathematicians from Less Developed Countries, Melvin Henriksen WebAssign Letters to the Editor An Invitation to Cauchy-Riemann and Sub-Riemannian Geometries, John P. D'Angelo and Jeremy T. Tyson Mathematics of the Gateway Arch, Robert Osserman Model Theory and Complex Geometry, Rahim Moosa WHAT IS... a Halting Probability?, Cristian S. Calude and G. J. Chaitin AMS Headlines and Deadlines for Students What Then? Plato's Ghost: The Modernist Transformation of Mathematics--A Book Review, reviewed by Yuri Manin Solving Mathematical Problems: A Personal Perspective--A Book Review, reviewed by Loren Larson Simons Foundation Launches US$40-Million Program for Theoretical Research, Allyn Jackson 2009 Annual Survey of the Mathematical Sciences (First Report, Polly Phipps, James W. Maxwell, and Colleen Rose deGruyter Mathematics People AMS Fan China Exchange Program Mathematics Opportunities AMS 2010 Spring Sectional Meetings Inside the AMS Reference and Book List Doctoral Degrees Conferred (2008-2009) 2009 Election Results 2010 AMS Election (Nominations by Petition) Mathematics Claendar New Publications Offered by the AMS Classified Advertisements Meetings and Conferences of the AMS Meetings and Conferences Table of Contenst Cambridge University Press AMS Best-Selling Titles of 2009 Springer