The Man Who Knew Infinity

By far the best scientific biography I ever read.It's a magical story,of a person whose life and story almost sound mythical,a person who continues to be a source of inspiration for people around the world who are familiar with him.And it is a story told in a very engaging way by Robert Kanigel.The exhaustive research he did is remarkable. This book will captivate you and touch you and it will stay in your memory as one of the finest literary experiences you have had.And what is more,it is a very human tale.I've no hesitation in recommending that you buy this one immediately and maybe even gift it to others.

An excellent biography by Robert Kanigel. Although little maths somehow slowdown the pace of the story, but the narration is excellent. A really inspiring tale of a man who's first and the last love was Mathematics, who only cares for the mathematics.It should be made compulsory for the students of Higher classes.

This is among the finest books I have ever read and certainly the finest biography of Ramanujan.As one reviewer has pointed out,that it is an irony that it took a foreigner to bring us the story of Ramanujan in such illuminating depths.The story of Ramanujan's life appears as if taken out of a Hollywood rags-t-riches(Intellectual,i.e.)movie.
Robert Kanigel must have done a great deal of research before writing this book and it certainly shows.
The book also has another hero-G H Hardy who has been fairly devoted substantial portion of the volume.This because it is difficult to assess Ramanujan's legacy if we don't take into account Hardy's role in it and vice-versa.
Considering that the book is meant for popular reading,proper balance has been maintained in discussing Ramanujan's mathematics and Ramanujan,the person.
The natural follow up to this read would be G H Hardy's essay "A Mathematician's Apology"..

It is sad that the best biography about an Indian mathematician had to be written by a foreigner. The book gives you a fascinating insight into Srinivasan Ramanujan's life. Interested in mathematics from early on, Ramanujan overcame all barriers, including a complete lack of formal mathematical training, to become one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century. The book explores Ramanujan's mind which worked very differently from an average 'great' mathematician. Focused on intuitive reasoning rather than rigorous proof, Ramanujan was often disregarded, only to be discovered later By Cambridge mathematician G.H.Hardy. Together until his very early demise, Ramanujan and Hardy performed some of the most exciting mathematics ever.
If you're a fan of scientific biographies, you NEED this in your collection.

Most of us have heard of the Mathematical genius, Ramanuajam, and how G H Hardy, a British Mathematician facilitated his visit to England. We are also aware of the amazing insights of Ramanujam and how he and Hardy worked together to bring these insights into wider knowledge. However, the book by Kanigel traces the history of Ramanujam and his ordinary background from a small town in south India in such great detail and with such a human touch that the book is worth every minute spent in reading it. The author has given a lot of importance also to the mathematical elements of Ramanujam's greatness unlike other biographers of the genius.