A Primer of Mathematical Writing

Steven G. Krantz

Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society, 1997; Pages: 221

This slim volume is the most concise, clear, and useful guide to ``having your ideas recorded, typeset, published, read, and appreciated.'' Although ostensibly intended for mathematicians, the advice is sound and useful for all academics because it deals with several types of writing (papers, letters of recommendation, book reviews, referee reports, vitae, and books), and generalizes quite well across disciplines. The book is a must for anyone involved with mathematics, such as political scientists, economists, biologists, and psychologists of the more mathematically-oriented branches of their disciplines.

The author begins by discussing some of the basic rules of good writing. This chapter, although useful, is perhaps the least interesting. There are many other (thick) books dedicated to this topic entirely. Some of them are even good. Chapter 2 deals with topics specific to mathematics but that can be extended to any formal writing. The author is careful to distinguish the difference between creating an argument, proving it, and presenting it in the most efficient way. All too many writers do not recognize the simple fact that just because you have thought up of something in a particular way, it does not mean that this way is the most effective approach to transmitting your ideas to others.

The author then deals with problems of exposition, especially on tone tailored to the specific audience in mind. The following two chapters are on other types of writing, starting with simple letters and ending with preparing books. Chapter 6 is on using document preparation and typesetting systems (obviously, every one should use LaTeX), which may or may not be useful to readers, depending on how married they are to their preferred method of dealing with computerized text.

The book can easily be read in one sitting, which is what I did. I also find myself frequently referring to various parts of the book, especially the chapter that deals with organization of papers.

February 26, 2001. BLS

@BOOK{krantz-97:primer,
    TITLE     = {A Primer of Mathematical Writing},
    AUTHOR    = {Steven G. Krantz},
    YEAR      = {1997},
    PUBLISHER = {American Mathematical Society},
    ADDRESS   = {Providence RI},
    ISBN      = {0-8218-0635-1},
    NOTE      = {Pp. 221}
}