Synthesized answer
The provided passages describe G. H. Hardy as a renowned mathematical thinker, considered by his contemporaries to be a "real mathematician ... the purest of the pure" [1, 2]. He is also characterized as being "unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready to talk about anything" [1, 2]. Hardy wrote his "apology" in 1940 as his mathematical abilities were waning, offering an engaging account of mathematics beyond just science [1, 2].
The passages mention that C. P. Snow's Foreword offers insights into Hardy's life, including anecdotes about his collaboration with Ramanujan, his aphorisms, idiosyncrasies, and his love for cricket [1, 2]. However, the passages do not explicitly list or detail the specific evidence the author provides for his claims within the book.
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
Mathematician's Apology by G. H. Hardy Description: G. H. Hardy was one of this century's finest mathematical thinkers, renowned among his contemporaries as a 'real mathematician ... the purest of the pure'. He was also, as C. P. Snow recounts in his Foreword, 'unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready to talk about anything'. This 'apology', written in 1940 as his mathematical powers were declining, offers a brilliant and engaging account of mathematics as very much more than a science; when it was first published, Graham Greene hailed it alongside Henry James's notebooks as 'the best account…
Title: A mathematician's apology by G. H. Hardy Description: G. H. Hardy was one of this century's finest mathematical thinkers, renowned among his contemporaries as a 'real mathematician … the purest of the pure'. He was also (as C. P. Snow recounts in his Foreword to the 1967 edition) 'unorthodox, eccentric, radical, ready to talk about anything'. This 'apology', written in 1940 as his mathematical powers were declining, offers a brilliant and engaging account of mathematics as very much more than a science; when it was first published, Graham Greene hailed it alongside Henry James's…