On the correspondence of Sophie Germain (Q2314082)

This paper deals with the corresponence of Sophie Germain (1776--1831). After an overview of Germain's life and work, the authors present the fate of her correspondence and the history of its editing. Germain's correspondence with Carl Friedrich Gauss and Guglielmo Libri is considered in detail. The known correspondence with Gauss consists of ten letters from Germain (the first three of them under the male pseudonym of Antoine-Auguste Le Blanc) and four letters from Gauss. It is mainly devoted to number theory; the first five letters from Germain include also additional mathematical notes. The correspondence with the Italian mathematician Guglielmo Libri (1802--1869) is of more personal nature. Germain and Libri became friends when Libri visited Paris in 1825 and the letters she wrote to him not only deal with mathematics but shed also some light on her life and personality. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1411.01011].