Selected Works of Frederick J. Almgren, Jr.

Book excerpt: This volume offers a unique collection of some of the work of Frederick J. Almgren, Jr., the man most noted for defining the shape of geometric variational problems and for his role in founding The Geometry Center. Included in the volume are the following: a summary by Sheldon Chang of the famous 1700 page paper on singular sets of area-minimizing $m$-dimensional surfaces in $Rn$, a detailed summary by Brian White of Almgren's contributions to mathematics, his own announcements of several longer papers, important shorter papers, and memorable expository papers. Almgren's enthusiasm for the subject and his ability to locate mathematically beautiful problems that were "ready to be solved" attracted many students who further expanded the subject into new areas. Many of these former students are now known for the clarity of their expositions and for the beauty of the problems that they work on. As Almgren's former graduate student, wife, and colleague, Professor Taylor has compiled an important volume on an extraordinary mathematician. This collection presents a fine comprehensive view of the man's mathematical legacy