... there is nothing so enthralling, so grandiose, nothing that stuns or captivates the human soul quite so much as a first course in a science. After the first five or six lectures one already holds the brightest hopes, already sees oneself as a seeker after truth. I too have wholeheartedly pursued science passionately, as one would a beloved woman. I was a slave, and sought no other sun in my life. Day and night I crammed myself, bending my back, ruining myself over my books; I wept when I beheld others exploiting science fot personal gain. But I was not long enthralled. The truth is every science has a beginning, but never an end - they go on for ever like periodic fractions. Zoology, for example, has discovered thirty-five thousand forms of life ... A. P. Chekhov. "On the road" In this book a start is made to the "zoology" of the singularities of differentiable maps. This theory is a young branch of analysis which currently occupies a central place in mathematics; it is the crossroads of paths leading from very abstract corners of mathematics (such as algebraic and differential geometry and topology, Lie groups and algebras, complex manifolds, commutative algebra and the like) to the most applied areas (such as differential equations and dynamical systems, optimal control, the theory of bifurcations and catastrophes, short-wave and saddle-point asymptotics and geometrical and wave optics).

​Singularity theory is a far-reaching extension of maxima and minima investigations of differentiable functions, with implications for many different areas of mathematics, engineering (catastrophe theory and the theory of bifurcations), and science. The three parts of this first volume of a two-volume set deal with the stability problem for smooth mappings, critical points of smooth functions, and caustics and wave front singularities. The second volume describes the topological and algebro-geometrical aspects of the theory: monodromy, intersection forms, oscillatory integrals, asymptotics, and mixed Hodge structures of singularities. The first volume has been adapted for the needs of non-mathematicians, presupposing a limited mathematical background and beginning at an elementary level. With this foundation, the book's sophisticated development permits readers to explore more applications than previous books on singularities.

​​The present volume is the second in a two-volume set entitled Singularities of Differentiable Maps. While the first volume, subtitled Classification of Critical Points and originally published as Volume 82 in the Monographs in Mathematics series, contained the zoology of differentiable maps, that is, it was devoted to a description of what, where, and how singularities could be encountered, this second volume concentrates on elements of the anatomy and physiology of singularities of differentiable functions. The questions considered are about the structure of singularities and how they function.

The volume develops a thorough theory of singular fibers of generic differentiable maps. This is the first work that establishes the foundational framework of the global study of singular differentiable maps of negative codimension from the viewpoint of differential topology. The book contains not only a general theory, but also some explicit examples together with a number of very concrete applications. This is a very interesting subject in differential topology, since it shows a beautiful interplay between the usual theory of singularities of differentiable maps and the geometric topology of manifolds.

The first monograph on singularities of mappings for many years, this book provides an introduction to the subject and an account of recent developments concerning the local structure of complex analytic mappings. Part I of the book develops the now classical real C∞ and complex analytic theories jointly. Standard topics such as stability, deformation theory and finite determinacy, are covered in this part. In Part II of the book, the authors focus on the complex case. The treatment is centred around the idea of the "nearby stable object" associated to an unstable map-germ, which includes in particular the images and discriminants of stable perturbations of unstable singularities. This part includes recent research results, bringing the reader up to date on the topic. By focusing on singularities of mappings, rather than spaces, this book provides a necessary addition to the literature. Many examples and exercises, as well as appendices on background material, make it an invaluable guide for graduate students and a key reference for researchers. A number of graduate level courses on singularities of mappings could be based on the material it contains.

The modern theory of singularities provides a unifying theme that runs through fields of mathematics as diverse as homological algebra and Hamiltonian systems. It is also an important point of reference in the development of a large part of contemporary algebra, geometry and analysis. Presented by internationally recognized experts, the collection of articles in this volume yields a significant cross-section of these developments. The wide range of surveys includes an authoritative treatment of the deformation theory of isolated complex singularities by prize-winning researcher K Miyajima. Graduate students and even ambitious undergraduates in mathematics will find many research ideas in this volume and non-experts in mathematics can have an overview of some classic and fundamental results in singularity theory. The explanations are detailed enough to capture the interest of the curious reader, and complete enough to provide the necessary background material needed to go further into the subject and explore the research literature.

This monograph is the first to develop a mathematical theory of gravitational lensing. The theory applies to any finite number of deflector planes and highlights the distinctions between single and multiple plane lensing. Introductory material in Parts I and II present historical highlights and the astrophysical aspects of the subject. Part III employs the ideas and results of singularity theory to put gravitational lensing on a rigorous mathematical foundation.

This is a compact guide to the principles and main applications of Singularity Theory by one of the world’s top research groups. It includes a number of new results as well as a carefully prepared and extensive bibliography that makes it easy to find the necessary details. It’s ideal for any mathematician or physicist interested in modern mathematical analysis.

This second edition is an invaluable textbook for anyone who would like an introduction to the modern theories of catastrophies and singularities.