Many connections have been found between the theory of analytic functions of one or more complex variables and the study of commutative Banach algebras. While function theory has often been employed to answer algebraic questions such as the existence of idempotents in a Banach algebra, concepts arising from the study of Banach algebras including the maximal ideal space, the Silov boundary, Geason parts, etc. have led to new questions and to new methods of proofs in function theory. This book is concerned with developing some of the principal applications of function theory in several complex variables to Banach algebras. The authors do not presuppose any knowledge of several complex variables on the part of the reader and all relevant material is developed within the text. Furthermore, the book deals with problems of uniform approximation on compact subsets of the space of n complex variables. The third edition of this book contains new material on; maximum modulus algebras and subharmonicity, the hull of a smooth curve, integral kernels, perturbations of the Stone-Weierstrass Theorem, boundaries of analytic varieties, polynomial hulls of sets over the circle, areas, and the topology of hulls. The authors have also included a new chapter containing commentaries on history and recent developments and an updated and expanded reading list.
