Classical Sobolev spaces, based on Lebesgue spaces on an underlying domain with smooth boundary, are not only of considerable intrinsic interest but have for many years proved to be indispensible in the study of partial differential equations and variational problems. Many developments of the basic theory since its inception arise in response to concrete problems, for example, with the (ubiquitous) sets with fractal boundaries.

The theory will probably enjoy substantial further growth, but even now a connected account of the mature parts of it makes a useful addition to the literature. Accordingly, the main themes of this book are Banach spaces and spaces of Sobolev type based on them; integral operators of Hardy type on intervals and on trees; and the distribution of the approximation numbers (singular numbers in the Hilbert space case) of embeddings of Sobolev spaces based on generalised ridged domains.

This timely book will be of interest to all those concerned with the partial differential equations and their ramifications. A prerequisite for reading it is a good graduate course in real analysis.

The book deals with the representation in series form of compact linear operators acting between Banach spaces, and provides an analogue of the classical Hilbert space results of this nature that have their roots in the work of D. Hilbert, F. Riesz and E. Schmidt. The representation involves a recursively obtained sequence of points on the unit sphere of the initial space and a corresponding sequence of positive numbers that correspond to the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the map in the Hilbert space case. The lack of orthogonality is partially compensated by the systematic use of polar sets. There are applications to the p-Laplacian and similar nonlinear partial differential equations. Preliminary material is presented in the first chapter, the main results being established in Chapter 2. The final chapter is devoted to the problems encountered when trying to represent non-compact maps.

The monograph presents some of the authors' recent and original results concerning boundedness and compactness problems in Banach function spaces both for classical operators and integral transforms defined, generally speaking, on nonhomogeneous spaces. Itfocuses onintegral operators naturally arising in boundary value problems for PDE, the spectral theory of differential operators, continuum and quantum mechanics, stochastic processes etc. The book may be considered as a systematic and detailed analysis of a large class of specific integral operators from the boundedness and compactness point of view. A characteristic feature of the monograph is that most of the statements proved here have the form of criteria. These criteria enable us, for example, togive var ious explicit examples of pairs of weighted Banach function spaces governing boundedness/compactness of a wide class of integral operators. The book has two main parts. The first part, consisting of Chapters 1-5, covers theinvestigation ofclassical operators: Hardy-type transforms, fractional integrals, potentials and maximal functions. Our main goal is to give a complete description of those Banach function spaces in which the above-mentioned operators act boundedly (com pactly). When a given operator is not bounded (compact), for example in some Lebesgue space, we look for weighted spaces where boundedness (compact ness) holds. We develop the ideas and the techniques for the derivation of appropriate conditions, in terms of weights, which are equivalent to bounded ness (compactness)."

The theory of Lebesgue and Sobolev spaces with variable integrability is experiencing a steady expansion, and is the subject of much vigorous research by functional analysts, function-space analysts and specialists in nonlinear analysis. These spaces have attracted attention not only because of their intrinsic mathematical importance as natural, interesting examples of non-rearrangement-invariant function spaces but also in view of their applications, which include the mathematical modeling of electrorheological fluids and image restoration.The main focus of this book is to provide a solid functional-analytic background for the study of differential operators on spaces with variable integrability. It includes some novel stability phenomena which the authors have recently discovered.At the present time, this is the only book which focuses systematically on differential operators on spaces with variable integrability. The authors present a concise, natural introduction to the basic material and steadily move toward differential operators on these spaces, leading the reader quickly to current research topics.

The main theme of the book is the study, from the standpoint of s-numbers, of integral operators of Hardy type and related Sobolev embeddings. In the theory of s-numbers the idea is to attach to every bounded linear map between Banach spaces a monotone decreasing sequence of non-negative numbers with a view to the classification of operators according to the way in which these numbers approach a limit: approximation numbers provide an especially important example of such numbers. The asymptotic behavior of the s-numbers of Hardy operators acting between Lebesgue spaces is determined here in a wide variety of cases. The proof methods involve the geometry of Banach spaces and generalized trigonometric functions; there are connections with the theory of the p-Laplacian.

The monograph presents some of the authors' recent and original results concerning boundedness and compactness problems in Banach function spaces both for classical operators and integral transforms defined, generally speaking, on nonhomogeneous spaces. Itfocuses onintegral operators naturally arising in boundary value problems for PDE, the spectral theory of differential operators, continuum and quantum mechanics, stochastic processes etc. The book may be considered as a systematic and detailed analysis of a large class of specific integral operators from the boundedness and compactness point of view. A characteristic feature of the monograph is that most of the statements proved here have the form of criteria. These criteria enable us, for example, togive var ious explicit examples of pairs of weighted Banach function spaces governing boundedness/compactness of a wide class of integral operators. The book has two main parts. The first part, consisting of Chapters 1-5, covers theinvestigation ofclassical operators: Hardy-type transforms, fractional integrals, potentials and maximal functions. Our main goal is to give a complete description of those Banach function spaces in which the above-mentioned operators act boundedly (com pactly). When a given operator is not bounded (compact), for example in some Lebesgue space, we look for weighted spaces where boundedness (compact ness) holds. We develop the ideas and the techniques for the derivation of appropriate conditions, in terms of weights, which are equivalent to bounded ness (compactness)."

Classical Sobolev spaces, based on Lebesgue spaces on an underlying domain with smooth boundary, are not only of considerable intrinsic interest but have for many years proved to be indispensible in the study of partial differential equations and variational problems. Many developments of the basic theory since its inception arise in response to concrete problems, for example, with the (ubiquitous) sets with fractal boundaries.

The theory will probably enjoy substantial further growth, but even now a connected account of the mature parts of it makes a useful addition to the literature. Accordingly, the main themes of this book are Banach spaces and spaces of Sobolev type based on them; integral operators of Hardy type on intervals and on trees; and the distribution of the approximation numbers (singular numbers in the Hilbert space case) of embeddings of Sobolev spaces based on generalised ridged domains.

This timely book will be of interest to all those concerned with the partial differential equations and their ramifications. A prerequisite for reading it is a good graduate course in real analysis.