From the beginning it was clear that, despite its successes, the Standard Model of elementary particles would have to be embedded in a broader theory that would incorporate gravitation as well as the strong and electroweak interactions. There is at present only one plausible candidate for such a theory: it is the theory of strings, which started in the 1960s as a not-very-successful model of hadrons, and only later emerged as a possible theory of all forces.

There is no one better equipped to introduce the reader to string theory than Joseph Polchinski. This is in part because he has played a significant role in the development of this theory. To mention just one recent example: he discovered the possibility of a new sort of extended object, the ‘Dirichlet brane,’ which has been an essential ingredient in the exciting progress of the last few years in uncovering the relation between what had been thought to be different string theories.

Of equal importance, Polchinski has a rare talent for seeing what is of physical significance in a complicated mathematical formalism, and explaining it to others. In looking over the proofs of this book, I was reminded of the many times while Polchinski was a member of the Theory Group of the University of Texas at Austin, when I had the benefit of his patient, clear explanations of points that had puzzled me in string theory. I recommend this book to any physicist who wants to master this exciting subject.