'… this is an impressive book. It is notable for its consistent line of development and the clarity and insight with which topics are treated … It is hard to think of a better text in an advanced graduate area, and it is rare to have one written by a master of the subject. It is worth pointing out that the book also contains a collection of useful problems, a glossary, and an unusually complete index.' Physics Today

• Foreword; Preface; Notation; 1. A first look at strings; 2. Conformal field theory; 3. The Polyakov path integral; 4. The string spectrum; 5. The string S-matrix; 6. Tree-level amplitudes; 7. One-loop amplitudes; 8. Toroidal compactification and T-duality; 9. Higher order amplitudes; Appendix A: a short course on path integrals; References; Glossary; Index.

'… this is an impressive book. It is notable for its consistent line of development and the clarity and insight with which topics are treated … It is hard to think of a better text in an advanced graduate area, and it is rare to have one written by a master of the subject. It is worth pointing out that the book also contains a collection of useful problems, a glossary, and an unusually complete index.' Physics Today

• Foreword; Preface; Notation; 1. A first look at strings; 2. Conformal field theory; 3. The Polyakov path integral; 4. The string spectrum; 5. The string S-matrix; 6. Tree-level amplitudes; 7. One-loop amplitudes; 8. Toroidal compactification and T-duality; 9. Higher order amplitudes; Appendix A: a short course on path integrals; References; Glossary; Index.