Recollections of a Jewish Mathematician in Germany

“This new text provides an English translation of his original autobiography, balanced by an insightful chapter surveying the last 32 years of Fraenkel’s life … . This is a great book befitting a great man! Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals.” (J. Johnson, Choice, Vol. 54 (10), June, 2017)“This book contains an English translation of Fraenkel's autobiography which was edited and completed with an additional chapter by Jiska Cohen-Mansfield. … The book offers a unique picture of the world of mathematics, and of the complex struggles within the world of orthodox Jews, in Germany in the first half of the twentieth century.” (Eduard Glas, Mathematical Reviews, May, 2017)“The book is an enjoyable read. … This book provides a valuable service to a number of scholarly communities who can now see the inner workings of someone who was involved in the birth of the discussion of the foundations of mathematics and the death of the era of Jewish life in Europe. As an eminently readable volume, it also opens the life of an important mathematical figure, in his various guises, to the broader public.” (Mark Zelcer, Metascience, Vol. 26, 2017)“Fraenkel’s distinctive voice makes his memoir a fascinating read. His importance makes it a valuable historical source. I found it both enjoyable and instructive.” (Fernando Q. Gouvêa, MAA Reviews, maa.org, December, 2016)

• Acknowledgements.- Foreword to the 2015 English edition by Menachem Magidor.- Foreword to the 1967 German edition by Yehoshua Bar-Hillel.- 1.My Ancestors.- 2. Childhood and Adolescence in Munich (1891–1910).- 3.As a Student at Prussian Universities (1910–1914).- 4.As a Soldier in the First World War (1914–1919).- 5.As a Professor in Marburg and Kiel (1919–1929).- 6. Epilogue (1929–1933).- Afterword: 1933–1965 by Jiska Cohen-Mansfield.- Family trees.- Bibliography of works by Abraham A. Fraenkel.- Index.