Differential geodesy is concerned with the geometry of the gravity field of the Earth, which is of fundamental importance to both theoretical geodesy and geophysics. This monograph presents a unified treatment of the foundations of differential geodesy as proposed originally by Antonio Marussi and Martin Hotine in their work.
The principal features of the Marussi-Hotine approach to theoretical aspects are given in the first five chapters (based on leg calculus), while the last five chapters are devoted to the fundamental ideas of the Marussi and Hotine theory. The text includes practical problems and is intended for use by research geodesists, graduate students in geodesy, and theoretical geophysicists.

Apart from Hotine's work on Mathematical Geodesy, several previously unpublished reports are collected in this monograph, complemented by extensive comments on these contributions and a complete bibliography of Hotine by the editor.