Through a Reporter's Eyes: The Life of Stefan Banach

Description

* Based on original archival sources, dozens of interviews with people who knew and remember Banach, and conversations with mathematicians who are familiar with Banach's work and its impact on modern mathematics * Presents engaging descriptions of Banach's personality and the unusual milieu in which he worked * Originally written in Polish, the English edition has been revised to include new materials and many photographs Contents Foreword to the Polish Edition vi Translator and Editor’s Preface ix I Beginnings and Premonitions 1 II The “Greatest Discovery” of Hugo Steinhaus 12 III Lvov and Mathematics: 1919-1929 26 IV Studia Mathematica and Opérations Linéaires 46 V The Scottish Café 59 VI Banach Privately and In Daily Life 74 VII The Last Years 84 VII In the Eyes of Friends and Followers 92 Appendix I. Mathematics in Stefan Banach’s Time 107 by W. A. Woyczynski Appendix II. Selected Publications of Stefan Banach 116 Appendix III. Selected Bibliography 122 Notes 128 Index of Names 135