Calculus has a deservedly central role in higher education. It is not only the key to the full range of scientific and engineering disciplines; it is also a crucial component in a student’s intellectual development. I hope my text will help to open up this multifaceted world of ideas for the student. Like a great symphony, the ideas in calculus never grow stale. There is always something new to appreciate and delight in, and I enjoy the challenge of finding the best way to communicate these ideas to students.

My text builds on the tradition of several generations of calculus authors. There is no perfect text, given the choices and inevitable compromises that must be made, butmany of the existing textbooks reflect years of careful thought, meticulous craft, and accumulated wisdom, all of which cannot and should not be ignored in the writing of a new text.

I have made a sustained effort to communicate the underlying concepts, ideas, and “reasons why things work” in language that is accessible to students. Throughout the text, student difficulties are anticipated and addressed. Problem-solving skills are systematically developed in the examples and problem sets. I have also included a wide range of applications, both innovative and traditional, which provide additional insight into the mathematics and communicate the important message that calculus plays a vital role in the modern world.

My textbook follows a largely traditional organization, with a few exceptions. Two such exceptions are the structure of Chapter 2 on limits and the placement of Taylor polynomials in Chapter 8.