This book examines the life and work of mathematician Giovanni Battista Guccia founder of the
Circolo Matematico di Palermo and its renowned journal the Rendiconti del Circolo matematico
di Palermo. The authors describe how Guccia an Italian geometer was able to establish a
mathematical society in Sicily in the late nineteenth century which by 1914 would grow to
become the largest and most international in the world with one of the most influential
journals of the time. The book highlights the challenges faced by Guccia in creating an
international society in isolated Palermo and places Guccia's activities in the wider European
context through comparisons with the formation of the London Mathematical Society and the
creation of Mittag-Leffler's Acta Mathematica in Stockholm. Based on extensive searches in
European archives this scholarly work follows both historical and scientific treads and will
appeal to those interested in the history of mathematics and science in general.
