Comprising unpublished material including photographs and letters that were believed lost forever, this book gives deep insights into the great scholar's struggle for self-discovery, and allows the relationship to his very different brother to emerge vividly.

Hermann Günther Graßmann was one of the 19 th century's most remarkable scientists, but many aspects of his life have remained in the dark. This book assembles essential, first-hand information on the Graßmann family. It sheds light on the family's struggle for scientific knowledge, progress and education. It puts a face on the protagonists of an exciting development in the history of science. And it highlights the peculiar set of influences which led Hermann Graßmann to brilliant insights in mathematics, philology and physics.

This book of sources is meant to complement the biography of Graßmann and the proceedings of the 2009 Graßmann Bicentennial Conference (Birkhäuser 2010). "Roots and Traces" will interest all scholars working on Hermann Graßmann and related topics. It offers newly discovered pictures of family members, historical texts documenting life in this exceptional family and an English translation of these previously unpublished papers.

Text in German and English.

Publication of documents on the life of Graßmann previously unpublished and believed (in part) to be lost Bilingual presentation of text (German/English) For the first time evidence is published here about the personal life of Graßmann Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
Friedrich Heinrich Gotthilf Graßmann, the uncle and foster-father of Robert Graßmann.- Robert Graßmann, the brother.- Hermann Günther Graßmann.- Hermann Graßmann the Younger, the son.- Three remarkable students of Hermann Graßmann.