This book is an abridged version of our two-volume opus Convex Analysis
and Minimization Algorithms [18], about which we have received very
positive feedback from users, readers, lecturers ever since it was
published - by Springer-Verlag in 1993. Its pedagogical qualities were
particularly appreciated, in the combination with a rather advanced
technical material. Now [18] hasa dual but clearly defined nature: -
an introduction to the basic concepts in convex analysis, - a study of
convex minimization problems (with an emphasis on numerical al- rithms),
and insists on their mutual interpenetration. It is our feeling that the
above basic introduction is much needed in the scientific community.
This is the motivation for the present edition, our intention being to
create a tool useful to teach convex anal- ysis. We have thus extracted
from [18] its "backbone" devoted to convex analysis, namely
ChapsIII-VI and X. Apart from some local improvements, the present text
is mostly a copy of the corresponding chapters. The main difference is
that we have deleted material deemed too advanced for an introduction,
or too closely attached to numerical algorithms. Further, we have
included exercises, whose degree of difficulty is suggested by 0, I or 2
stars *. Finally, the index has been considerably enriched. Just as in
[18], each chapter is presented as a "lesson", in the sense of our old
masters, treating of a given subject in its entirety.