Gauss: A Biographical Study

Procreare iucundum, sed parturire molestum. (Gauss, sec. Eisenstein) The plan of this book was first conceived eight years ago. The manuscript developed slowly through several versions until it attained its present form in 1979. It would be inappropriate to list the names of all the friends and advisors with whom I discussed my various drafts but I should like to mention the name of Mr. Gary Cornell who, besides discussing with me numerous details of the manuscript, revised it stylistically. There is much interest among mathematicians to know more about Gauss's life, and the generous help I received has certainly more to do with this than with any individual, positive or negative, aspect of my manuscript. Any mistakes, errors of judgement, or other inadequacies are, of course, the author's responsi- bility. The most incisive and, in a way, easiest decisions I had to make were those of personal taste in the choice and treatment of topics. Much had to be omitted or could only be discussed in a cursory way.

Table of Contents:
1 Childhood and Youth, 1777–1795.- Interchapter I The Contemporary Political and Social Situation.- 2 Student Years in Göttingen, 1795–1798.- Interchapter II The Organization of Gauss’s Collected Works.- 3 The Number-Theoretical Work.- Interchapter III The Influence of Gauss’s Arithmetical Work.- 4 The Return to Brunswick. Dissertation. The Ceres Orbit.- 5 Marriage. Later Brunswick Years.- Interchapter IV The Political Scene in Germany, 1789–1848.- 6 Family Life. The Move to Gôttingen.- 7 Death of Johanna and Second Marriage. The First Years as Professor in Göttingen.- Interchapter V Section VII of Disqu. Arithm..- Interchapter VI Gauss’s Style.- 8 The Astronomical Work. Elliptic Functions.- Interchapter VII Modular Forms. The Hypergeometric Function.- 9 Geodesy and Geometry.- 10 The Call to Berlin and Gauss’s Social Role. The End of the Second Marriage.- 11 Physics.- Interchapter VIII Gauss’s Personal Interests After His Second Wife’s Death.- 12 The Göttingen Seven.- Interchapter IX The Method of Least Squares.- 13 Numerical Work. Dioptrics.- 14 The Years 1838–1855.- 15 Gauss’s Death.- Epilogue (Interchapter X).- Appendix A The Organization of Gauss’s Collected Works.- Appendix B A Survey of the Secondary Literature.- Appendix C An Index of Gauss’s Works.- Notes.

Review :
"This biography is addressed to the contemporary professional mathematician who is assumed to be a specialist with limited historical interests and knowledge. Although the fifteen chapters, supplemented by several shorter interchapters, are basically chronological, particular aspects of Gauss's work are stressed in particular chapters (e.g., potential theory in Chapter 11) so that for most of the book the reader will be outside his narrow specialty. Inevitably the life of the "Prince of Mathematicians" raises many important historical questions, such as the relationship between pure and applied mathematics and of both to the political and economic background, communication and cooperation, conservatism and innovation, and personal and social life..." -- MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS