by Antonio Fasano and Stefano Marmi, Oxford University Press. Hardback ISBN 9780198508021, £49.50 ($89.50).
Analytical mechanics is the investigation of motion with the rigorous tools of mathematics – a classical subject with fascinating developments and still rich with open problems. This book is intended to fill a gap between elementary expositions and more advanced material, explaining ideas and showing applications using plain language and “simple” mathematics. Basic calculus is enough for the reader to understand this volume; any further mathematical concepts are fully introduced in simple language.