Alexandre Grothendieck

French mathematician (1928–2014), a leading figure in 20th-century algebraic geometry who introduced foundational notions such as schemes and toposes and developed étale cohomology; awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 and later withdrew from the mathematical community.

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Récoltes Et Semailles

    A long, intimate meditation that blends memoir, philosophical reflection and critique of the mathematical community, tracing the author’s creative life, the joys and rigors of mathematical discovery, and the moral responsibilities of scientists. It alternates autobiographical passages about formative years and collaborations with sustained evaluations of mathematical institutions, colleagues, and the reception of original ideas, often expressing pain at perceived betrayals, misunderstandings, and the commodification of thought. The tone is at once lyrical and polemical, arguing for honesty, humility and a reverent attitude toward the act of creation while recounting the personal costs of dissent, isolation, and declining health, and considering how notions of “sowing” and “harvesting” ideas shape both individual careers and the broader fate of mathematics.