This is the only book available that analyzes in depth the mathematical foundations of the finite element method. It is a valuable reference and introduction to current research on the numerical analysis of the finite element method, as well as a working textbook for graduate courses in numerical analysis. It includes many useful figures, and there are many exercises of varying difficulty.

Although nearly 25 years have passed since this book was first published, the majority of its content remains up-to-date. Chapters 1 through 6, which cover the basic error estimates for elliptic problems, are still the best available sources for material on this topic. The material covered in Chapters 7 and 8, however, has undergone considerable progress in terms of new applications of the finite element method; therefore, the author provides, in the Preface to the Classics Edition, a bibliography of recent texts that complement the classic material in these chapters.