Mathematicians of the World, Unite! by Guillermo Curbera

It is almost as good as having attended the congresses!. It is comprehensive, with lots of color pictures, not only of mathematicians and meeting venues, but also with much attention paid to ephemera: posters, invitations and tickets, logos, postage stamps, scenes of social events and excursions - and even the sheet music for a song by Tom Lehrer. It has now appeared and a splendid work it is, profusely illustrated and elegantly presented. I eagerly awaited the appearance of this new volume. The text is a joy to read and the lavish layout is a delight to the eye. Edmund Robertson, The London Mathematical Society, October 2009Įxtensive efforts are evident in this carefully researched text with its extraordinary collection of 400 illustrations, many of which have not appeared elsewhere, at least in recent times. The book will bring back many memories for those who have attended the more recent Congresses and will give those who have not attended an understanding of what they have missed. The pictures succeed in bringing the Congresses to life and emphasize that the interactions of participants are the most important feature of these meetings. The pictures from over 100 years of Congresses form a special feature of the book. Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze, Zentralblatt MATH, October 2009 This is accompanied by a wealth of partly new pictorial material of good quality. The book proceeds chronologically, describing each congress on the basis of the published Proceedings, usually citing the titles of the plenary lectures, commenting on the number and the national distribution of participants, and on the financial conditions. with the help of many colleagues abroad, new and interesting material on the Oslo congress of 1936 and on the origins of the Fields medals in mathematics, which were awarded for the first time in Oslo. Recommended academic collections, upper-division undergraduate and above.Ĭurbero found. A niche book, likely to be of interest to both mathematicians and historians of science. Mathematicians of the World, Unite! is much more detailed, more probing, and (of course) more current. Van Kerkhove, Mathematical Reviews, December 2009

This well-written and beautifully edited book gives a survey of all 25 ICM's, from 1897 in Zurich to 2006 in Madrid. Dharma Lesmono, Australian Mathematical Society, March 2010 This is an excellent book, and the author is to be congratulated on his efforts in collecting references from many sources (congress proceedings, books, articles, notes and announcements in journals), especially old sources from the early times of the ICMs.

Brenda Strassfield, Mathematics Teacher, May 2010 the author's description of whets one's appetite to attend ICM 2010 in India. The history of the prized Fields Medal and its founder is quite compelling.

Mathematicians of the World, Unite! by Guillermo Curbera