Surreal Numbers：how two ex-students turned on to pure mathematics and found total happiness : a mathematical novelette

DonaldE.Knuthisknownthroughouttheworldforhispioneeringworkonalgorithmsandprogrammingtechniques,forhisinventionoftheTexandMetafontsystemsforcomputertypesetting,andforhisprolificandinfluentialwriting.ProfessorEmeritusofTheArtofComputerProgrammingatStanfordUniversity,hecurrentlydevotesfulltimetothecompletionofthesefasciclesandthesevenvolumestowhichtheybelong.