Book excerpt: Nonlinear Elasticity presents a description of research and result on various nonlinear problems arising in elasticity. This book covers a variety of topics, including shallow elastic membranes, nonlinear elasticity, finite deformations of elastic solids, and nonlinear thermoelasticity. Organized into 11 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the nonlinear theory of buckling of elastic shells. This text then examines the ways in which the energy criterion supplies a necessary condition for asymptotic stability. Other chapters consider some of the phenomena, both physical and mathematical, that typify the large deformation of a nonlinearly elastic body. This book discusses as well the concepts leading to a criterion for instabilities and discusses how the criterion applies to some well-known ideal materials. The final chapter deals with the structure of strong shocks and studies the evolution of such a shock produced by a suddenly-applied strain. This book is a valuable resource for mathematicians.