Real numbers. The classic continuum and natural sequences (Q5900096)

This book offers a well-readable elementary introduction into the basic properties of the continuum of the real numbers, and of the basic notions of descriptive set theory. The author thus fills a long-lasting gap in the modern literature on elementary set-theoretic topics, not only on the German-language book market. And he provides here all the basic material that is needed to be understood before starting to read more advanced textbooks in descriptive set theory like the classic one of \textit{A. S. Kechris} [Classical descriptive set theory. Graduate Texts in Mathematics. 156. Berlin: Springer-Verlag (1995; Zbl 0819.04002)]. The text is, in accordance with the subtitle, divided into two parts. The first part, ``The classical continuum'', discusses in six chapters (i) the irrational numbers, (ii) the notion of power for sets, (iii) constructions and order-theoretic characterizations of the reals, (iv) Euclidean isometries, (v) contents and measures over the reals, and (vi) limitations of such measures (e.g., the existence of non-Lebesgue measurable sets and of paradoxical decompositions). The second part, ``Sequence spaces'', treats, again in six chapters, (i) the Baire space, (ii) Polish spaces and related topological notions, (iii) regularity properties, (iv) irregular sets, (v) infinite games, and (vi) Borel and projective sets. The systematic considerations are nicely combined with scattered historical remarks. Some appendices explain set-theoretic axioms, basic algebraic and topological notions, and recursive constructions of measures. There is an extended subject index, additionally also a name index, and there are also lists of symbols and of personal data of the core contributors to the book's subject. Unfortunately there is no central list of references, but only local ones with each chapter -- a rather bad decision of the author. The first edition (2007) has been announced (see Zbl 1185.03074).