Introduction to the Calculus of Variations

"This wonderful book is imbued with a marvelous historical perspective so that the reader is taught some very beautiful mathematics fitted in the proper historical perspective ... it is full of terrific hard analysis focused on a general theme that is exemplified by the author's astute and elegant choice of topics ... There are a lot of (outstanding) exercises and these are critical for a deeper understanding of the material. All of Chapter 7 is devoted to their solutions, and this increases the book's already considerable value as a source for self-study ... it's a very beautiful treatment, and will reward the diligent reader with a solid introduction to a great and grand subject and to a lot of beautiful hard analysis." MAA Online Book Review "A great feature is the concluding Chapter 7, presenting complete solutions to all the exercises set earlier in the book ... This is a well thought-out selection, and Dacorogna's expert discussion is everywhere really clear and nicely motivated, with lots of details put in. He obviously cares about actually teaching and not just covering material." SIAM Review