This book examines the life and work of mathematician Giovanni Battista Guccia, founder of the Circolo Matematico di Palermo and its renowned journal, the Rendiconti del Circolo matematico di Palermo. The authors describe how Guccia, an Italian geometer, was able to establish a mathematical society in Sicily in the late nineteenth century, which by 1914 would grow to become the largest and most international in the world, with one of the most influential journals of the time. The book highlights the challenges faced by Guccia in creating an international society in isolated Palermo, and places Guccia's activities in the wider European context through comparisons with the formation of the London Mathematical Society and the creation of Mittag-Leffler's Acta Mathematica in Stockholm. Based on extensive searches in European archives, this scholarly work follows both historical and scientific treads, and will appeal to those interested in the history of mathematics and science in general.
Benedetto Bongiorno was Full Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of Palermo from 1976 to 2012. From 1995 to 1997 he was dean of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Palermo. Bongiorno has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Application since 2000. He was member of the scientific committee of the Unione Matematica Italiana from 1994 to 1997. From 1983 to 1997 he acted as Vice President of the Circolo Matematico di Palermo. He has been a member of the Accademia di Scienze Lettere e Arti di Palermo since 1980. Guillermo P. Curbera is Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the University of Sevilla. His research focuses on functional and complex analysis. He was the Editor General of the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society form 2006 to 2009 and has been Curator of the Archives of the International Mathematical Union (located in Berlin) since 2007. He has authored the book Mathematicians of the World: Unite! The International Congress of Mathematicians, A Human Endeavour (2009). |
