NIELS HENRIK ABEL and his Times

• I Introduction.- 1. A Short Life.- II Family Background.- 2. The Abel Family Tree.- 3. Father’s Period of Schooling and Study in Denmark.- 4. Vicar and Curate.- 5. Abel and the Simonsen Family in Risør.- III Childhood at Gjerstad.- 6. Priest at Finnøy, Church Affairs in the Kristiansand Diocese.- 7. Niels Henrik’s First Years.- 8. Childhood Learning, Childhood Faith.- 9. Everyday Life in the Shadow of War.- 10. Ground Swells from Offshore.- 11. New Sounds in City and Hamlet.- 12. Home and Abroad, Crises and Turning Points.- 13. S. G. Abel Steps into Politics.- 14. The Times During Which Niels Henrik Grew Up.- 15. Niels Henrik Leaves Home.- IV Disciple in Christiania, 1815–1821.- 16. Meeting A New Era.- 17. School Life, Money Worries, and the Joys of the Theatre.- 18. Everyday Life in Christiania S. G. Abel Enters the Public Spotlight.- 19. Confirmation and Direction in Life.- 20. The Fateful Year, 1818.- 21. Christiania, Fall, 1818.- 22. Into Mathematical History.- 23. School Days and Many More Stories.- 24. To the Examen artium and Further Studies.- 25. Student and Homeless.- V Student Life, 1821–1825.- 26. Free Room and Board at “Regentsen”.- 27. Examen Philosophicum: The Course of Studies and the Teachers.- 28. Student Life and Circle of Friends.- 29. Spring and Early Summer, 1822.- 30. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.- 31. Copenhagen — Travel, Summer, 1823.- 32. The Quintic Equation and Future Plans.- 33. Betrothal and Preparations.- VI Europe-Travel.- 34. Through Copenhagen and Hamburg to Berlin.- 35. Berlin, October 1825 to March 1826.- 36. Via Leipzig to Freiberg.- 37. Through Dresden to Prague.- 38. To Vienna.- 39. From Vienna to Graz and Trieste.- 40. Onward to Venice, via Bologna to Bolzano.- 41. In the Dolomites, over to Innsbruck and on toMount Rigi.- 42. Paris, July 10th to December 29th, 1826.- 43. The Homeward Journey via Berlin and Copenhagen.- VII The Last Year in Norway.- 44. Back Home.- 45. Christiania, Autumn, 1827.- 46. From January to July, 1828.- 47. The Final Summer.- 48. The Final Round, Autumn, 1828.- VIII.- 49. Deathbed.- 1 Chronology.- 2. Commentaries and Supplementary Readings.- 3 Chronological Bibliography of Abel’s Published Works.- 4 Annotated Bibliography.- Index of Names.

"I first read the book in the original Norwegian and found it impossible to put down. This is a truly remarkable book that takes you inside the life and passion of a mathematician. Anybody with or without a mathematical background can enjoy it."Mathematical Reviews Issue 2001 h"This book, originally published in 1996 in Norwegian, won the book-of-the-year prize (the Brage prize) of the Norwegian Publishers Association. It is the longest and definitive biography of Niels Henrik Abel. Now available in English, this book will be enjoyed by everyone interested in the history of science and mathematics."B.M.Schein (Fayetteville), Zentralblatt für Mathematik, 991.36737"...In Niels Henrik Abel and His Times, Arild Stubhaug has given us a work of lasting value. It will serve as an indispensable source book for any one wanting to learn about Abel, particularly as we approach the Abel bicentennial conference at the University of Oslo in June 2002. ..." O.A.Laudal, MAA Monthly, October 2001"... It is an extremely well-written account of Abel's short life (1802-29). It compares favorably with Oystein Ore's biography..., which is highly recommendable and was until now the most complete source on Abel's life. ...The book is written in an elegant and captivating literary style that made it almost impossible for me to put it down. ...The book is beautifully illustrated wtih 51 figures. There is no doubt that this book is a great contribution to our knowledge of Abel and his time. For a historian of mathematics it presents a great improvement vis à vis Ore's book, both for its richer cultural context and because it lists the sources. ... For those who want this richer cultural context, I warmly recommend Stubhaug's new book." Jesper Lützen, Notices of the AMS, August 2002" ... Along with work by some other authors, who are cited in this book, Stubhaug and Hawkinshave 'done' Lie handsomely, at least for a long time to come. ..." Reviewed by I.Grattan-Guiness, Ganita Bharati 2002, Vol. 24, Issue 1-4"Ein mathematisches Genie, das viel zu früh starb und das quasi erst auf dem Totenbett die Stelle angeboten bekam, die seinem Leben eine finanzielle Basis gegeben und ihm eine große Karriere eröffnet hätte: Das war der norwegische Mathematiker Niels Henrik Abel (1802 - 1829). In der Mathematikgeschichte ist eine Biographie, aus der man leicht ein Film-Drehbuch machen könnte, kein Einzelfall (Galois, Ramanujan, ...), im vorliegenden Buch wird das Leben von Abel liebevoll und sehr ausführlich nachgezeichnet. Man kann das Buch als erste Einführung in die von Abel entwickelte Mathematik lesen. (Es gibt in dem Buch aber keine einzige Formel, wirklich schwierig wird es an keiner Stelle.) Es bietet auch die Möglichkeit, viel Interessantes aus der europäischen, insbesondere der norwegischen Geschichte zu Beginn des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts zu erfahren. Deutschland kommt auch vor, denn hier verbrachte Abel die für seine mathematische Entwicklung wichtigsten Jahre. Für Abel- und Norwegen-Fans ein Muss, für den/die Durchschnittsleser(in) vielleicht etwas zu ausführlich. Das sprachliche Niveau des Englisch, das hier verwendet wird, ist recht hoch. Leserinnen und Leser, die auf der Schule nur das Allernotwendigste in dieser Sprache gelernt haben, sollten sich ein Wörterbuch bereit legen." Rezension: Ehrhard Behrends, http://www.mathematik.de