Hard covers

by Brian Hayes

Published 3 April 2008

My new book has come out this week: Group Theory in the Bedroom, and Other Mathematical Diversions, Hill and Wang, xi+269 pages, $25. ISBN-10: 0-8090-5219-9, ISBN-13: 978-0-8090-5219-9, Library of Congress Call Number: T185.H39 2008.

This is a collection of essays on themes that will be familiar to many readers of bit-player.org. Indeed, the essays themselves may be familiar! Eleven of the twelve essays appeared earlier as “Computing Science” columns in American Scientist; the twelfth was published in The Sciences. But there is some new material: Appended to each chapter is an “Afterthoughts” section where I confess to errors, castigate critics, bring outmoded notions up to date, and generally try to offer readers some excuse for selling them a $25 book, when they could find most of the content free on the web.

The book has its own handsome web site (I was lucky to snap up the domain name “grouptheoryinthebedroom.com” before some speculator squatted on it). I cordially invite all of you to go over there and have a look around. Meanwhile, back here at bit-player HQ, I’m going to throw myself a little party. See you in a day or two.

   ’Tis pleasant, sure, to see one’s name in print;
    A book’s a book, although there’s nothing in’t.
                                      —Lord Byron

Responses from readers:

• A comment from Greg Wilson, 4 April 2008 at 9:00 am

  My review is online at http://dobbscodetalk.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Six-Books-for-a-Canadian-Winter.html&Itemid=29 (mirrored at http://pyre.third-bit.com/blog/archives/1387.html).

• A comment from Seb, 6 April 2008 at 10:04 am

  Congratulations!

• A comment from Mikael Vejdemo Johansson, 6 April 2008 at 11:21 pm

  Oh, that’s YOU? I was drooling over the book at a bookstore in Berkeley, putting it in the slot of “Want to have but can’t afford right now”.

  It’ll be easier to motivate spending the money now.

  (yes, I know, I can be slow at times)

• A comment from Kristen, 10 April 2008 at 3:00 pm

  Congratulations, Brian! Very proud. And well done on nabbing that domain name - that could have tricky.

• A comment from mark, 2 June 2008 at 8:23 am

  Awesome book, bought it.

  Your Lambert “Why W” was fantastic, recognized your name on the book and got it.

  Keep it up.

Please note: The bit-player website is no longer equipped to accept and publish comments from readers, but the author is still eager to hear from you. Send comments, criticism, compliments, or corrections to brian@bit-player.org.

Tags for this article: books.