Kreisel (Georg) Correspondence with Jean van Heijenoort, 1949-1981

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Summary

Title:
Georg Kreisel correspondence with Jean van Heijenoort
Dates:
1949-1981
Creators:
Kreisel, Georg
Abstract:
Correspondence, notes, memoranda, articles and other materials by Professor Georg Kreisel, sent to his colleague, Professor J. van Heijenoort of Harvard University. Includes some correspondence with other colleagues.
Extent:
6 Linear Feet
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Georg Kreisel Correspondence with Jean van Heijenoort (SC0233). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Correspondence, notes, memoranda, articles and other materials by Professor Georg Kreisel, sent to his colleague, Professor J. van Heijenoort of Harvard University. Includes some correspondence with other colleagues.

Biographical / historical:

Georg Kreisel FRS (1923-2015) was a distinguished mathematical logician of Austrian origin who found his academic home in the United Kingdom and the United States. Born in Graz to a Jewish family, he was sent to the United Kingdom before the Anschluss in 1938. He pursued his studies in mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. During World War II, he contributed to military endeavors. In 1962, he was appointed as a professor at Stanford University, where he continued to serve until his retirement in 1985. Kreisel's scholarly contributions spanned various domains of logic, with a particular emphasis on proof theory. Notably, he is acclaimed for his "unwinding" program, which sought to distill constructive essence from ostensibly non-constructive proofs.

Jean van Heijenoort (1912-1986) was a historian of mathematical logic and well known withing the discipline for editing From Frege to Gödel: A Source Book in Mathematical Logic, 1879-1931, published in 1967. In 1932, he was hired to be Leon Trotsky's secretary, in part due to his fluency in multiple languages.

Acquisition information:
Gift of J. van Heijenoort, 1981.
Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
University Archives staff
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-03-07 09:32:27 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

While University Archives is the owner of the physical and/or digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

Georg Kreisel Correspondence with Jean van Heijenoort (SC0233). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Stanford University Archives, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website