Foliations and the Geometry of 3-Manifolds

This unique reference, aimed at research topologists, gives an exposition of the ''pseudo-Anosov'' theory of foliations of 3-manifolds. This theory generalizes Thurston''s theory of surface automorphisms and reveals an intimate connection between dynamics, geometry and topology in 3 dimensions. Significant themes returned to throughout the text include the importance of geometry, especially the hyperbolic geometry of surfaces, the importance of monotonicity, especially in 1-dimensional and co-dimensional dynamics, and combinatorial approximation, using finite combinatorical objects such as train-tracks, branched surfaces and hierarchies to carry more complicated continuous objects.