This is a reprint, in Springer's
Classics in Mathematics series, of a book first published in 1983 in the much pricier
Grundlehren series. It is the second volume in a four-volume set which was described in the original "Telegraphic Review" as "a monumental work by a master". Full reviews of the first two volumes appeared in
The American Mathematical Monthly (December 1985),
SIAM Review (June 1985), and the
Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society (1984). They are all worth reading.
This volume focuses on linear partial differential operators with constant coefficients, but not exclusively so. The book is more a compendium than a textbook; there are no exercises. Each chapter ends with notes on the literature, and there is a large bibliography.
The binding of this softcover reprint seems quite good, but the quality of the printing is not so impressive (perhaps because it is a photographic reproduction of material printed in an early laser printer?).
Overall, it is great to have this book back at an affordable price. It really does deserve to be described as a classic.
Fernando Q. Gouvêa is the editor of MAA Reviews.