This volume, which ten years ago appeared as the first in the acclaimed series Lecture Notes in Logic, serves as an introduction to recursion theory. The fundamental concept of recursion makes the idea of computability accessible to a mathematical analysis, thus forming one of the pillars on which modern computer science rests. The clarity and focus of this text have established it as a classic instrument for teaching and self-study that prepares its readers for the study of advanced monographs and the current literature on recursion theory.

This classic introduction to the main areas of mathematical logic provides the basis for a first graduate course in the subject. It embodies the viewpoint that mathematical logic is not a collection of vaguely related results, but a coherent method of attacking some of the most interesting problems, which face the mathematician. The author presents the basic concepts in an unusually clear and accessible fashion, concentrating on what he views as the central topics of mathematical logic: proof theory, model theory, recursion theory, axiomatic number theory, and set theory. There are many exercises, and they provide the outline of what amounts to a second book that goes into all topics in more depth. This book has played a role in the education of many mature and accomplished researchers.

This volume, which ten years ago appeared as the first in the acclaimed series Lecture Notes in Logic, serves as an introduction to recursion theory. The fundamental concept of recursion makes the idea of computability accessible to a mathematical analysis, thus forming one of the pillars on which modern computer science rests. The clarity and focus of this text have established it as a classic instrument for teaching and self-study that prepares its readers for the study of advanced monographs and the current literature on recursion theory.

Since their inception, the Perspectives in Logic and Lecture Notes in Logic series have published seminal works by leading logicians. Many of the original books in the series have been unavailable for years, but they are now in print once again. In this volume, the first publication in the Lecture Notes in Logic series, Shoenfield gives a clear and focused introduction to recursion theory. The fundamental concept of recursion makes the idea of computability accessible to a mathematical analysis, thus forming one of the pillars on which modern computer science rests. This introduction is an ideal instrument for teaching and self-study that prepares the reader for the study of advanced monographs and the current literature on recursion theory.