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Zbl 1143.26001
Hardy, G.H.
(Körner, T. W.)
A course of pure mathematics. Centenary edition with a foreword by T. W. Körner. Reprint of the 10th edition 1952. (English)
[B] Cambridge Mathematical Library. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. xix, 509~p. \sterling~24.99 (2008). ISBN 978-0-521-72055-7

Fifty one years ago I bought my copy of this book and it has been in use ever since. I have never taught a course using it as curricula and students in North America do not quite fit its approach although I have often been tempted. In contents the new book is almost identical to mine although nearly twice the size; the earlier book was published in wartime on thinner paper. My book is the 1944 ninth edition, a copy of the 1938 seventh edition that was the first revision and resetting of the original 1908 work. The present centenary edition is a copy of the 1952 10th edition together with a foreword by Körner. Over the 100 years and 10 editions changes were made only in the 7th and 10th editions. The last changes included a welcome index that Hardy had been working on at his death, two different proofs of the Heine-Borel theorem and a slight extension of one example. The changes in the 7th edition resulted in a need to reset the book but left the general format and tenor unchanged. \par The longevity and the unchanging nature of the book speak to the excellence of Hardy's concept and being asked to review it is rather like asking an Anglican to review the King James Bible. The book was aimed at undergraduates and could be so used today employing any or all of the editions which is a sad commentary on present day text-book publishing and speaks to Hardy's insight and genius. The present edition has the excellent foreword by Körner; it is well worth updating for that alone, but I wish that the original preface by Hardy had been included. Even with that omission it is an essential part of any analyst's library.
[Peter S. Bullen (Vancouver)]

MSC 2000:: *26-01 Textbooks (real functions)
01A75 Collected or selected works
00A05 General mathematics

Citations: Zbl 0047.28304; Zbl 0019.20303; Zbl 0796.26002; JFM 39.0340.01

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Zentralblatt MATH Berlin [Germany]