Scottish book

Banach S.

The enclosed collection of mathematical problems has its origin in a notebook which was started in Lw6w, in Poland in 1935. If I remember correctly, it was S. Banach who suggested keeping track of some of the problems occupying the group of mathematicians there. The mathematical life was very intense in Lw6w. Some of us met practically every day, informally in small groups, at all times of the day to discuss problems of common interest, communicating to each other the latest work and results. Apart from the more official meetings of the local sections of the Mathematical Society (which took place Saturday evenings, almost every week!), there were frequent informal discussions mostly held in one of the coffee houses located near the University building-one of them a coffee house named ”Roma,” and the other ”The Scottish Coffee House.” This explains the name of the collection. A large notebook was purchased by Banach and deposited with the headwaiter of the Scottish Coffee House, who, upon demand, would bring it out of some secure hiding place, leave it at the table, and after the guests departed, return it to its secret location.