Summary: Inevitably, G. N. Watson’s awesome book [A treatise on the theory of Bessel functions. Cambridge: University Press (1922; JFM 48.0412.02)] is a mine of useful information on special functions. But it is also a superb source for all mathematicians interested in the development of classical analytical methods. We give some background on Watson and his work, and celebrate 100 years of his masterpiece.
The latest edition has been published in 1995, see the review in Zbl 0849.33001.