The Mathematical Legacy of Eduard Ech

The work of Professor Eduard Cech had a si ificant influence on the development of algebraic and general topology and differential geometry. This book, which appears on the occasion of the centenary of Cechs birth, contains some of his most important papers and traces the subsequent trends emerging from his ideas. The body of the book consists of four chapters devoted to algebraic topology, Cech-Stone compactification, dimension theory and differential geometry. Each of these includes a selection of Cechs papers, a brief summary of some results which followed from his work or constituted solutions to the problems he posed, and several selected papers by various authors concerning the areas of study he initiated. The book also contains a concise biography borrowed with minor changes from the book Topological papers of E. tech, a list of Cechs publications and a very brief note on his activity in the didactics of mathematics. The editors wish to express their sincere gratitude to all who contributed to the completion and publication of this book.