: ▁" But ▁the ▁readers ▁( maybe , ▁just ▁one ▁reader , ▁I ▁have ▁forgotten ▁now ) ▁object ed ▁that ▁articles ▁in ▁Scient ific ▁American ▁should ▁be ▁written ▁by ▁authorities ▁in ▁their ▁fields ▁and ▁not ▁by ▁house w ives !" ▁ ▁The ▁Scient ific ▁American ▁article ▁led ▁to ▁an ▁inv itation ▁from ▁Robert ▁L . ▁Crow ell ▁of ▁the ▁Thomas ▁Y . ▁Crow ell ▁Co . ▁publishing ▁house ▁to ▁write ▁" a ▁little ▁book ▁on ▁numbers " ▁ ▁that ▁became ▁From ▁Zero ▁to ▁In fin ity . ▁Two ▁more ▁popular ▁math ▁books ▁for ▁Crow ell ▁followed : ▁Introduction ▁to ▁High er ▁Mathemat ics ▁ ▁for ▁the ▁General ▁Re ader ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 9 ▁and ▁A ▁Long ▁Way ▁from ▁Eu cl id ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 3 . ▁ ▁After ▁writing ▁these ▁books ▁she ▁felt ▁she ▁had ▁run ▁out ▁of ▁ideas , ▁and ▁her ▁sister ▁Julia ▁Robinson ▁suggested ▁that ▁she ▁should ▁update ▁Eric ▁Temple ▁Bell ' s ▁collection ▁of ▁mathematical ▁bi ograph ies , ▁Men ▁of ▁Mathemat ics . ▁ ▁After ▁trav elling ▁to ▁Gött ingen ▁to ▁abs orb ▁some ▁mathematical ▁culture , ▁Re id ▁decided ▁instead ▁to ▁write ▁a ▁full - length ▁bi ography ▁of ▁David ▁Hil bert , ▁who ▁she ▁considered ▁the ▁greatest ▁math ematic ian ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁tw enti eth ▁century . ▁Julia ▁encourag ed ▁her ▁in ▁this ▁project , ▁and ▁the ▁bi ography ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁as ▁Hil bert . ▁The ▁Hil bert ▁bi ography ▁was ▁a ▁success