Jim Franklin's book recommended by top novelist & Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee

In what can be viewed as a stunning compliment to his work, one of Professor James Franklin's books has been recommended by prominent novelist John Maxwell "J. M." Coetzee.

Professor Franklin's 2002 book, "The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability before Pascal", received an endorsement from J. M. Coetzee on a Books of the Year (2012) list compiled by The Australian. On the list, leading writers and critics revealed their best reads for the year.

J. M. Coetzee is an illustrious novelist and essayist, with a Nobel Prize in Literature (2003) under his belt. Of Professor Franklin's book, he said: "In The Science of Conjecture, James Franklin shows us how deeply and subtly jurists and philosophers from ancient Greece onwards have explored how we can deal rationally with real-life cases (law cases, for instance, or scientific experiments) where the link between cause and effect is not obvious".

Professor Franklin has taught in the School of Mathematics and Statistics for over 30 years. He has written several books canvassing the areas of philosophy and mathematics, and in 2005 he received the Eureka Prize for Research in Ethics.