Author Description

Although Riemann surfaces are a time-honoured subject, this book is novel in its broad perspective that systematically explores the connections with other fields of mathematics. It can serve as an introduction to contemporary mathematics as a whole, as it develops background material from algebraic topology, differential geometry, the calculus of variations, elliptic partial differential equations, and algebraic geometry. It is unique among textbooks on Riemann surfaces in including an introduction to Teichmuller theory. The analytic approach is likewise new, as it is based on the theory of harmonic maps.