Correspondences and editions of collected works: problems, situations, perspectives

Letter writing has always been very important for the spreading of scientific ideas, even in times of a great number of specialized journals. The correspondences on mathematical issues or those of interest in the history of mathematics involve a vast field of topics, not only those of a scientific nature. They include letters between mathematicians and from mathematicians to politicians, publishers, and men and women of culture. Leibniz, Euler, D’Alembert, Lambert, Lagrange, Laplace, Gauss, Hermite and Cremona are undoubtedly authors of great interest and their letters are precious documents, but the correspondence of less well-known authors can also make an important contribution to the history of science. All of these kinds of correspondences constitute an essential component in the reconstruction of biographies, as well as the genesis of scientific ideas, in analyzing relations and debates, and, ultimately, in the correct dating and interpretation of various memoirs. Their publication is, therefore, important for the success of critical editions of the works of great mathematicians (Galileo, Newton, Wallis, Huygens, Euler, the Bernoulli family, etc.).