Publisher's Synopsis
This "Selecta" contains approximately two thirds of the papers my father wrote from 1932 to 1994. These papers are divided into four fields. The first volume contains the papers on 1) Summability and Number Theory and 2) Interpolation. The second volume contains the fields 3) Real and Functional Analysis and 4) Approximation Theory. Each of these four groups of papers is introduced by a review of the contents and significance, respectively of the impact of these papers. The first volume contains, in addition, an autobiography, a complete list of publications, a list of doctoral students and four unpublished essays on mathematics in general: a) A report on the University of Leningrad b) On the work of the mathematical mind c) Proofs in Mathematics d) About Mathematical books. The report on the University of Leningrad, written in the late '40's, is a unique historical document which is still of current interest for several reasons. It is of interest for professional reasons since it contains a com- plete description of a mathematics majors' curriculum through his entire course of studies. From it one can see both the changes and invariants of course material as well as the students' course load. Then one can also see the consequences of admittedly extreme political intervention in uni- versity affairs. Today we use the term "politically correct", but in those times being politically correct was a matter of life and death. Finally, this is a tragedy of human beings caught in the siege of Leningrad.
