Book excerpt: The present collection of reprints covers the main contributions of David Ruelle, and coauthors, to the theory of chaos and its applications. Several of the papers reproduced here are classics in the field. Others (that were published in less accessible places) may still surprise the reader.The collection contains mathematical articles relevant to chaos, specific articles on the theory, and articles on applications to hydrodynamical turbulence, chemical oscillations, etc.A sound judgement of the value of techniques and applications is crucial in the interdisciplinary field of chaos. For a critical assessment of what has been achieved in this area, the present volume is an invaluable contribution.