Diophantine geometry has been studied by number theorists for thousands of years, this monograph is a bridge between the classical theory and modern approach via arithmetic geometry. The treatment is largely self-contained, with proofs given in full detail. Many results appear here for the first time.

Diophantine geometry has been studied by number theorists for thousands of years, since the time of Pythagoras, and has continued to be a rich area of ideas such as Fermat's Last Theorem, and most recently the ABC conjecture. This monograph is a bridge between the classical theory and modern approach via arithmetic geometry. The authors provide a clear path through the subject for graduate students and researchers. They have re-examined many results and much of the literature, and provide a thorough account of several topics at a level not seen before in book form. The treatment is largely self-contained, with proofs given in full detail.

In 1988 Shafarevich asked me to write a volume for the Encyclopaedia of Mathematical Sciences on Diophantine Geometry. I said yes, and here is the volume. By definition, diophantine problems concern the solutions of equations in integers, or rational numbers, or various generalizations, such as finitely generated rings over Z or finitely generated fields over Q. The word Geometry is tacked on to suggest geometric methods. This means that the present volume is not elementary. For a survey of some basic problems with a much more elementary approach, see [La 9Oc]. The field of diophantine geometry is now moving quite rapidly. Out standing conjectures ranging from decades back are being proved. I have tried to give the book some sort of coherence and permanence by em phasizing structural conjectures as much as results, so that one has a clear picture of the field. On the whole, I omit proofs, according to the boundary conditions of the encyclopedia. On some occasions I do give some ideas for the proofs when these are especially important. In any case, a lengthy bibliography refers to papers and books where proofs may be found. I have also followed Shafarevich's suggestion to give examples, and I have especially chosen these examples which show how some classical problems do or do not get solved by contemporary in sights. Fermat's last theorem occupies an intermediate position. Al though it is not proved, it is not an isolated problem any more.

This book contains research articles on Diophantine Geometry, written by participants of a research program held at the Ennio De Giorgi Mathematical Research Center in Pisa, Italy, between April and July 2005. The authors are eminent experts in the field and present several subfields of the main topic. The volume provides a broad overview of recent research developments.

"Mathematicians David Fisher, Dmitry Kleinbock, and Gregory Soifer highlight in this edited collection the foundations and evolution of research by mathematician Gregory Margulis. Margulis is unusual in the degree to which his solutions to particular problems have opened new vistas of mathematics. Margulis' ideas were central, for example, to developments that led to the recent Fields Medals of Elon Lindenstrauss and Maryam Mirzhakhani. The broad goal of this volume is to introduce these areas, their development, their use in current research, and the connections between them. The foremost experts on the topic have written each of the chapters in this volume with a view to making them accessible by graduate students and by experts in other parts of mathematics"--