Book excerpt: Harmonic maps between Riemannian manifolds are solutions of systems of nonlinear partial differential equations which appear in different contexts of differential geometry. They include holomorphic maps, minimal surfaces, å-models in physics. Recently, they have become powerful tools in the study of global properties of Riemannian and K„hlerian manifolds.A standard reference for this subject is a pair of Reports, published in 1978 and 1988 by James Eells and Luc Lemaire.This book presents these two reports in a single volume with a brief supplement reporting on some recent developments in the theory. It is both an introduction to the subject and a unique source of references, providing an organized exposition of results spread throughout more than 800 papers.