How To Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method

"Solving problems", wrote Polya, "is a practical art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: You can learn it only by imitation and practice. This book cannot offer you a magic key that opens all the doors and solves all the problems, but it offers you good examples for imitation and many opportunities for practice: If you wish to learn swimming you have to go into the water and if you wish to become a problem solver you have to solve problems."

George Polya was a Hungarian mathematician. Born in Budapest on 13 December 1887, his original name was Pólya Györg. He wrote this, perhaps the most famous book of mathematics ever written, second only to Euclid's “Elements”. In 1940 he came to America and spent the rest of his career as a Professor at Stanford University.