Kendrick Press, Inc. (2004) x+555pp.
ISBN 0-09740427-2-2 hardback, $140.00.
ISBN 0-9740427-3-0 paperback, $90.00.
Translated from the 1892 edition by R. Baker, C. Christenson and H. Orde.
This is the first English translation of the collected papers of Bernhard
Riemann (1826-1866), one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Riemann
surfaces, Riemannian geometry and the Riemann zeta function are fundamental
concepts of modern mathematics. In spite of his short life and precarious
health, Riemann provided new and profound insights in many areas of analysis,
geometry and physics.
Some highlights of the Collected Papers:
• Riemann's doctoral thesis on the theory
of functions of a complex variable;
• The beautiful paper on the zeta function
and its connection to the distribution of prime numbers;
• The famous lecture at Göttingen that
initiated a new era in differential geometry;
• The great memoir on Abelian functions that
played a key role in the evolution of algebraic geometry.
There are also masterly works on trigonometric series, hypergeometric functions,
shock waves, electrodynamics and many other topics. They are all surprisingly
accessible to modern readers. The well-known essay by Richard Dedekind on
Riemann's life and work is included.
'My father's childhood copy of The Count of Monte Cristo is inscribed "This
is the best book I ever read", exactly my opinion of this translation
of Riemann's works
. This event should be celebrated by all mathematicians
and students who read primarily English.' (Roy Campbell Smith, Math. Reviews.)