Review of the hardback: 'Acta Numerica is a fine achievement and I think we can expect to see it for many years to come. It sets itself laudable and important goals and has, to a large extent, achieve them. I believe that the volumes are of enormous benefit to our subject … The editorial board should be applauded for having the vision and drive necessary to create and sustain such a high quality publication … No mathematics library is complete without this annual publication, and I urge everyone working in numerical mathematics and scientific computing to read it.' Andrew Stuart, SIAM Review

• 1. Monte Carlo and quasi-Monte Carlo methods Russel E. Caflish; 2. Nonlinear approximation Ronald A. DeVore; 3. Relative Perturbation results for matrix eigenvalues and singular values Ilse C. F. Ipsen; 4. Stability for time-dependent differential equations Heinz-Otto Kreiss and Jens Lorenz; 5. Direct search algorithms for optimization calculations M. J. D. Powell; 6. Choice of norms for data fitting and function approximation G. A. Watson.