Thermodynamics is still, as it always was, at the center of physics, the standard-bearer of successful science. As happens with many a theory, rich in applications, its foundations have been murky from the start and have provided a traditional challenge on which physicists and mathematicians alike have tested their latest skills.

Ruelle's book is perhaps the first entirely rigorous account of the foundations of thermodynamics. It makes heavier demands on the reader's mathematical background than any volume published so far. It is hoped that ancillary volumes in time will be published which will ease the ascent onto this beautiful and deep theory; at present, much of the background material can be gleaned from standard texts in mathematical analysis. In any case, the timeliness of the content shall be ample reward for the austerity of the text.