"Matematica e internazionalità nel carteggio fra Guccia e Cremona e i Rendiconti del Circolo Matematico " Cinzia Cerroni Università di Palermo Giovan Battista Guccia (Palermo 1855 – 1914) Biography of Giovan Battista Guccia He graduated in Rome in 1880, where he had been a student of Luigi Cremona, but already before graduation he attended the life mathematics and published a work of geometry. In 1889 was appointed professor of higher geometry at the University of Palermo and in 1894 was appointed Ordinary. In 1884 he founded, with a personal contribution of resources and employment, the Circolo Matematico di Palermo, whose ”Rendiconti" became, a few decades later, one of the most important international mathematical journals. He it was, until his death, the director and animator. At the untimely end, in 1914, he left fifty geometric works, in the address closely cremoniano. Luigi Cremona (Pavia 1830- Roma 1903) Biography of Luigi Cremona He participated as a volunteer in the war of 1848. He entered the University of Pavia in 1849. There he was taught by Bordoni, Casorati and Brioschi. On 9 May 1853 he graduated in civil engineering at the University of Pavia. He taught for several years in Middle Schools of Pavia, Cremona and Milan. In 1860 he became professor of Higher Geometry at the University of Bologna. In October 1867, on Brioschi's recommendation, was called to Polytechnic Institute of Milan, to teach graphical statics. He received the title of Professor in 1872 while at Milan. He moved to Rome on 9 October 1873, as director of the newly established Polytechnic School of Engineering. In addition he was appointed professor of graphical statics. In November 1877, he was appointed to the chair of higher mathematics at the University of Rome. However political pressures made him feel that he should serve the new Italian State. On 16 March 1879 he was appointed a senator. He became Minister of Public Education and ended his political career as Vice-President of the Senate. He was the man who laid the foundations of the prestigious Italian school of Algebraic Geometry, with the study of birational algebraic correspondences, then calls cremoniane The correspondence The correspondence is constitute of 59 letters which cover a period ranging from 1878 to 1900. ! The letters from Guccia to Cremona are 45, of which 44 are preserved at the Istituto Mazziniano of Genoa. ! The letters from Cremona to Guccia are 14 and are preserved in the archives of the Circolo Matematico of Palermo, together with the letter of Guccia to Cremona of July 28, 1881. Main Topics The description of scientific career and international relations of G.B. Guccia with detailed reports on foreign travel; References to the Circolo Matematico of Palermo, since the first phase of its constitution; The acute evaluations of the European mathematical environment effectuated by Guccia to guarantee the international development of the Circolo Matematico and of the Rendiconti; Scientific career and international relations “La mia prima visita fu pel Sig. Mannheim […] In un dejeuner che il Sig. Mannheim mi ha offerto ebbi l ’occasione di fare la conoscenza di parecchi geometri francesi. Fra i giovani mi piace rammentarle il Sig. Stephanos (di Atene) il quale ha per lei una grande e sincera ammirazione. Egli è uno dei pochissimi giovani che si occupano in Francia di Geometria proiettiva. […]Ho veduto lo Chasles. Mi accolse benissimo. ” [Guccia a Cremona 17 luglio 1880] “My first visit was for Mr Mannheim […] In a dejeuner that Mr Mannheim offered me, I had the opportunity to meet several French Geometers. Among the young people I like to remind Mr. Stephanos (Athens) which has for her a great and sincere admiration. He is one of the few young people in France that are interested in the projective geometry. […] I saw Chasles. He received me very well.” Scientific career and international relations Contrariamente a quanto le ho scritto, non andrò più a Londra per ora. Resterò a Parigi sino al 12 di agosto epoca del Congresso di Reims, al quale ho stabilito di assistere. […] Leggo con piacere che i Prof .ri Jung e Casorati leggeranno dei lavori. [Guccia a Cremona 22 luglio 1880] “ Contrary to what I wrote, I will not go to London for now. I will stay in Paris until August 12th, date of the Congress of Reims, which I decided to attend. […] I read with pleasure that Professors Jung and Casorati will read their papers.” Scientific career and international relations “ Alcuni giovani geometri di Parigi mi hanno domandato di presentare una breve comunicazione al prossimo congresso. Cominciai con l ’apporre un categorico rifiuto adducendo le due seguenti ragioni: 1° che Lei non ha ancora letta la mia memoria dalla quale avrei dovuto estrarre i principali risultati da sottomettere al giudizio del pubblico. 2° che l ’ordine del giorno nella sezione di Matematica è così carico di materia che alla mia nota sarebbe sicuramente risultata la sorte del cestino. “Some young geometers in Paris asked me to present a brief communication to the next Congress. I began by giving a categorical refusal by the two following reasons: 1° you has not yet read my memory from which I would have to pull out the main results to be submitted to the judgment of the public. 2° the agenda in the section of Mathematics is so full of matters that my note would go in the trash. Scientific career and international relations Alla seconda obiezione mi si è risposto che non v ’era nulla da temere per parecchie ragioni […]. Ma restava la prima […]. Par dunque che avrei dovuto smettere l ’idea […] di presentare al congresso di Reims i piccoli risultati del mio primo lavoro. Se oggi ritorno su questo soggetto si è che vengo di leggere nel programma il quale regola la distribuzione dei lavori […] Mi pare dunque che si è sempre in tempo, dopo di avere letta la nota di correggerla […] prima di consegnarla alla Commission de pubblicazion.” [Guccia a Cremona 28 luglio 1880] They have answered me to the second objection that there was nothing to fear for a lot of reasons[…]. But remained the first […]. It seems therefore that I would have had to stop the idea […] to introduce the small results of my first paper to the congress of Reims. If today return on this subject is because I read the program that regulates the distribution of the work [...] I therefore feel that it is always on time, after having read the note to correct it [...] before handing it to the Commission de pubblicazion.” Scientific career and international relations “Io non ho alcuna difficoltà a che voi facciate la comunicazione che vi si domanda; né ho ragione di dissuadervene. Fatela adunque: solo vi consiglio ad essere breve, conciso, quanto più è possibile, tanto nell’estratto scritto che darete per la stampa, quanto in ciò che esporrete a voce.” [Cremona a Guccia, 3 agosto 1880] “I have no problem that you will do the communication that they asked you ; I have no reason to discourage you. Let it therefore: only advise you to be brief, concise, as much as possible, both in the written text that you will give to the press, as in what you expose it to voice.” Scientific career and international relations Il Sig. Sylvester, in mia assenza, ha voluto proferire un giudizio che posso unicamente giustificare avuto riguardo alle sue abitudini di gentilezza e cortesia. Dopo la seduta il Sig. Darboux mi ha domandato se io volessi pubblicare per esteso il mio lavoro sul suo Bollettino. ” [Guccia a Cremona 15 settembre 1880] “Mr Sylvester, in my absence, has expressed an opinion that I can only justify due to its habits of kindness and courtesy. After the communication Mr Darboux asked me if I wanted to publish my work on its Bulletin” Scientific career and international relations Mi trovo a Londra fin da 10 giorni […] Il Sig. Hirst è stato per me amabilissimo. Grazie alla di lui cortesia ho potuto visitare nei loro più minuti dettagli le sale e le biblioteche dell ’Athenaeum Club, della Royal Accademy e della Società Astronomica. Mi ha procurato inoltre il piacere di essere presentato al Sig. Spottiswoode. [Guccia a Cremona 10 ottobre 1880] “I am in London from 10 days [...] Mr Hirst was for me a most amiable. Thanks to him courtesy I could visit in detail the halls and libraries of the Athenaeum Club, the Royal Academy and the Astronomical Society. Also gave me the pleasure of being introduced to Mr Spottiswoode” Scientific career and international relations Vengo direttamente da Parigi, dove i Mannheim furono, come sempre, amabilissimi per me. […] Il Sig. Halphen […] sul punto di lasciarlo m ’incaricò di rammentarlo a lei. Egli ha voluto propormi a membro corrispondente della Société Philomathique ed il 23 giugno ne fu fatta l ’elezione. [Guccia a Cremona 16 luglio 1883] “ I come directly from Paris, where the Mannheim were, as always, amiable to me . [...] Mr. Halphen [...] charged me to remember him to her. He proposed me as a corresponding member of the Société Philomathique and June 23 it was made the election ” Scientific career and international relations “Ho avuto con l’Ammiraglio de Jonquières delle lunghe sedute di Geometria. Tuttoché io non lo conosco che da quest’anno, pure questi è stato così largo di simpatie per me che io gliene sono invero riconoscentissimo. Se Jonquières, ritornerà, come spero, alla Geometria, ne reclamo la mia parte di merito. In atto ci occupiamo, insieme, di exhumer il manoscritto del 1859 depositato negli Archivi dell’Istituto; […]” [Guccia a Cremona 22 ottobre 1884] “I had with Admiral de Jonquières long discussions of Geometry. Although I know him only from this year, yet he was so wide sympathy for me that I will be most grateful.