There is no doubt that graduate students and seasoned analysts alike will find a wealth of material in this project and appreciate its encyclopedic nature.

There is no need to belabor the point that this is a fabulous set of texts and will be a smash hit in graduate programs with good taste and good students willing to work hard and ready for exposure to mathematical culture of a wonderful sort. In addition to being a fine mathematician and teacher of mathematics, Simon is something of a raconteur (in the best sense of the word) with a strong interest in history. The books are peppered with historical asides and human interest material, and this feature adds to their readability. Indeed, they are beautifully and clearly written and certainly make for a major contribution to the literature at the intended level and beyond. When I learned that the AMS (which is to be congratulated with this publication) was launching this series by Barry Simon, I, of course, expected a great deal. I was by no means disappointed; these books are terrific.