Tales of epic quests to solve some of the most difficult mathematical problems ever considered are served up in the following books:

Fermat’s Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World’s Greatest Mathematical Problem by Simon Singh (Anchor Books; 1998; ISBN: 0385493622). The epic quest to solve Fermat’s theorem is recounted—replete with human drama and tragedy.

Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire (Plume Books; 2004; ISBN: 0452285259). Math, history, and biography are intertwined in this story of a mathematical mystery that remains unsolved today.

Four Colors Suffice: How the Map Problem Was Solved by Robin Wilson (Princeton University Press; 2004; ISBN: 0691120234). A seemingly simple problem that perplexed amateur and professional mathematicians for over one hundred years is recounted in this interesting work.