> Many thanks to the immediate Avinoam Mann and John Harper, and to the
> even speedier Cathy Kessel for finding the date of the first edition
> of Hardy's "A Course of Pure Mathematics" for me, and to Walter Felscher
> and Moshe Machover for a few words about the impact it can have had.
> The more I know about the concept of continuity and its dissemination
> the better, since I seem to have nailed it to my flagpole over here in
> the field of general intellectual history.
I will add an irrelevant anecdote to this thread. In 1947, I interrupted
my university education to back into the US armed forces (the US Army --
I'd been in the US Navy in WW2). I took with me a copy of Hardy's "A
Course of Pure Mathematics" which I had checked out of the University of
Miami (Florida, USA) library. One of my fond memories about this book was
generated when during an inspection (in the military sense -- a rather
formal examination of one's gear and person by a commanding officer) a
captain, who knew well how sloppy I was about dressing, stowing my gear,
polishing my belt buckle and shoes, and all that stuff, spotted Hardy's
book on the shelf above my bunk. He took the book down, riffled through
the pages, gave me a most peculiar look, and for once didn't complain about
my appearance and how I'd made up my bed, etc. I submit this as a most
unusual use of Hardy's book.
I hasten to add that I was very precise in my work as a radio and teletype
operator, which the captain also knew. I also hasten to add that after my
discharge from the army, I returned to the University of Miami as a
student, and among other things returned the copy of Hardy's book to the
library. It was three years or so overdue, but they decided not to fine
me. Good thing, too, since I didn't have enough money to pay what it would
have been.
Gordon Fisher gfisher@shentel.net