No label defined (Q4040468)

This 100 page monograph is a beautifully written exposition of the development of ``classical'' Ramsey Theory from its inception until about 1980. The work is divided into six chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the historical background of the subject and includes a nice biographical note about Frank Ramsey. Several different proofs of Ramsey's Theorem are given in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 is devoted to the ``Known Ramsey Numbers''. Lower bounds for the Ramsey numbers R(k,k) and R(3,k) are derived in Chapters 4 and 6 respectively. Chapter 5 is devoted to the derivation of upper bounds for these numbers. It should be noted that, since 1980, one more Ramsey Number has been computed [\textit{C. M. Grimstead} and \textit{S. M. Roberts}, On the Ramsey Numbers R(3,8) and R(3,9), J. Comb. Theory Ser. A 42, 31-54 (1986)] and a significant improvement in the bounds given in Chapter 5 [\textit{M. Ajtai}, \textit{J. Komlós}, and \textit{E. Szemerédi}, A Note on Ramsey Numbers, J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 29, 354-360 (1980; Zbl 0455.05045)] have appeared. The exposition is very pleasant to read and the proofs are very clearly presented. Much of the monograph could be read and understood by undergraduates.