The Joy of Numbers by Bobby Seagull

The Joy of Numbers Reviews

• 
  Hamad

  
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  April's non fiction book of the month!
  
  Math is not the most exciting thing to read about but I was always a fan. I have never heard if Seagull before and I have never watched University Challenge but I saw this book featured on Ali Abdaal’s YouTube and was intrigued.
  
  To make it short: This book is not for everyone. In fact, this is a niche book and I can’t see it getting a book audience. The book does discuss some interesting topics and it provides mathematical insight which was so easy and basic to more complicated equations.
  
  This may be mean but I think Seagull is a great mathematician but a mediocre writer. I hoped to get a bit more out of this book. I never got the humor or the football references -and boy there were plenty of those- but the math was what interested me and I think it kind of applies to anyone interested in the book.
  
  Summary: The title is a bit dramatic because it did not and won’t change my life in any way but it just gave me some beautiful insight into part of the math world. The writing is a bit rough and the humor did not work for me but it was a fast read anyway. Some of the riddles were cool and some were just meh. I think math nerds can still enjoy this one!
• 
  Brian Clegg

  When a science book is branded as having a celebrity author it's tempting to ignore it, but presumably a good number of people buy such books or publishers wouldn't put them out - and in the case of Bobby Seagull, it is at least (we are told on the cover) someone who is famous for being on the TV show University Challenge. The format is an odd one - Seagull gives us shortish chapters on what seem to be random things that interest him, in which he finds a sometimes tenuous mathematical topic. The result is more than a touch bitty.
  
  Each chapter also ends with a little challenge in the form of a puzzle. Some are simple algebra problems (though concealed in words), others hide away mathematical sequences for the reader to spot. These are quite fun initially, though they get a little samey after a while.
  
  How well the topics work depend to some extent on how much your own interests line up with Seagull's. So, for example, as soon as he mentions football (which he does quite often) I tend to turn off - but others might find that appealing. He's best when he's dealing with quite interesting (in the QI sense) maths - for example when dealing with the law of large numbers or mathematics in magic. Elsewhere the maths itself can be rather tedious (for example in a section on compound interest), or the topic itself can seem to have very little to offer mathematically, as in a chapter on 'the strategy of game shows' which feels very forced in to match Seagull's claim to fame.
  
  If this book encourages readers who think they don't like maths to dip their toes in the water (Seagull is doing a doctorate in maths anxiety at Cambridge), then it is highly worthwhile, and I hope it succeeds in making more people realise that maths is magic. But for me, the lack of structure and the rather school-level writing style didn't make it a truly enjoyable read.
• 
  Alara

  Rebel Bookclub read for February 2021 
  
  Bobby's passion and enthusiasm for maths is contagious. I really enjoyed hearing him speak about the book and I'm sure I would have loved having him as a math teacher back in my school days. However, when it comes to his writing voice... too many personal stories I couldn't relate to (in fact I found the book to be quite laddish and include way to many references to football!) and ended up leaving me cold about the book.
• 
  Jen

  I like to say that I don't understand maths and it's not for me, but the truth is we all need numbers and with practice we will get it. I liked the practical applications and examples, and Bobby's enthusiasm shines from every chapter. I found the last three chapters the most interesting parts of the book but I did learn some surprising facts along the way (I'll be thinking twice about the songs I listen to now!)
• 
  Aidan McDonagh

  Well intentioned and a pleasant read, but I think this book is too ambitious. Every chapter is about a different area of maths and as a result just scratches the surface of fascinating topics like probability, love and finance. As a keen maths enthusiast I found I’d heard most of the ideas before and wanted to see the author dare to dive a bit deeper and aim for depth not breadth.
• 
  Gideon Yutzy

  His writing voice isn't particularly sophisticated or mature, but his content is great, at least in fits and starts. The "find a number, multiply by nine, think of country" riddle near the middle of the book is worth the price of the book. That, and his casual references to being a University Challenge participant.
• 
  Peter Kilburn

  Clearly Bobby Seagull loves Maths and I am sure his enthusiasm makes him an inspirational teacher but I was largely left cold by this book and only continued to the end because it was a book club choice.
• 
  NoRa

  Good book. Many interesting facts that wre new to me. Millennium Prize problems are very intriguing. Most of the tv shows mentioned were ones I have not heard of. Took me a long time to finish this book.
• 
  Dipra Lahiri

  Written with infectious enthusiasm, this is a light hearted read on math as relevant to everyday life. Excellent starter to further reading on the subject.
• 
  Simon

  As a maths fan, this book was a great read @Bobby_Seagull writes in such a way that the harder concepts are easy(ish) to get your head around.
  
• 
  Nasha Irshv

  A light reading, somewhat entertaining but a bit too boring when bobby kept on TB his youth times every time. A bit excessive for my liking
• 
  Mike Clarke

  You do the math: mathematician, educator, University Challenge star, Library Champion, and all-round good guy, Bobby Seagull set out to show maths can be fun - and very nearly succeeds! His overwhelming enthusiasm, and troubled sense that we don’t all believe him, are most touching here, and he almost persuaded me to try one of those equation thingies with lots of <>\~¥s and m!s in them that look so intriguing but are as comprehendible as Sanskrit. To paraphrase Tick in Priscilla, “I think I can safely say I know less about maths now than when I opened this up.” But it may work for you, and one can forgive his Judith Krantz out of Dan Brown style (everyone is “world famous”, everything “iconic”) for the drive to do us some good, even if the puzzles are versions of man filling bath using punctured bucket, only where the man is a celebrity. A celebrity with a purpose - and that makes him unusual indeed.
• 
  Graham Joseph

  Bobby Seagull has put together an engaging book that, as suggested by the title, focuses on the role of numbers in our lives. It’s interesting and easy to read, and has certainly given me food for thought.
  
  At times, though, there are some obvious over-simplifications that annoy me. While I appreciate his ability to address the needs of his audience, it’s the precision of maths that appeals to me - not its simplicity. Looking beyond those moments, though, I can see already that this book has helped to renew my interest in the mathematical order of the world around us.
  
  Well worth a read.
• 
  Ilina Trendafilova

  My copy of this book is heavily tabbed (I’m a proud nerd!) and underlined. I really like how many practical tips there are and as someone who fears maths (because I did not bother with it as much as I should have and my last memories of it are from high school and pulling my hair out at stereometry), I truly enjoyed all the magic of numbers!
• 
  Daneel Lynn

  譯本書名完全誤導，其實比較像趣味生活數學，拐一下中小學學生讀書用。可是英國哏太多，介紹當然就不甚詳細。所以這本書的最佳呈現效果應該要找網紅拍片。
• 
  Brian

  Lacks depth
• 
  Simon F. Melinte

  Well... After half content I lost my patience. Its not what I expected or what I was looking for and also the content its not splendid.