Advance praise: 'Statistical physics has grown over the past few decades' way beyond its original aims for the understanding of gases and thermal systems at equilibrium, and it is hard to agree on its precise scope, let alone to write a definitive textbook on the subject. [This book] succeeds remarkably well in this task. Cutting a broad swath through the many ramifications of statistical physics in recent times, the book includes a comprehensive review of the many techniques and paradigmatic systems that have come to be regarded as standards of the field. Having solidly covered these essentials, in the third and last part of the book the authors discuss a smorgasbord of topics, from coarsening and kinetic roughening, to pattern formation, to phase-ordering phenomena, selected from their decades of research and expertise in these areas. The book is ambitious and rather comprehensive in its scope. The explanations are succinct and crystal clear, making the volume valuable not only as a textbook but also as a reference work that is sure to become ubiquitous on the shelves of students, teachers, and of young and well-seasoned researchers alike.' Daniel ben-Avraham, Clarkson University, New YorkAdvance praise: 'Nonequilibrium statistical physics provides the foundation for a plethora of interdisciplinary applications throughout the natural sciences, and courses on this subject are therefore becoming an integral part of physics curricula all over the world. Livi and Politi systematically build up the material from the fundamentals of stochastic processes and linear response theory to current research topics, and explain every step in the most pedagogical and transparent manner. This carefully crafted textbook is certain to become a standard reference for years to come.' Joachim Krug, University of Cologne

Statistical mechanics has been proven to be successful at describing physical systems at thermodynamic equilibrium. Since most natural phenomena occur in nonequilibrium conditions, the present challenge is to find suitable physical approaches for such conditions: this book provides a pedagogical pathway that explores various perspectives. The use of clear language, and explanatory figures and diagrams to describe models, simulations and experimental findings makes the book a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, and also for lecturers organizing teaching at varying levels of experience in the field. Written in three parts, it covers basic and traditional concepts of nonequilibrium physics, modern aspects concerning nonequilibrium phase transitions, and application-orientated topics from a modern perspective. A broad range of topics is covered, including Langevin equations, Levy processes, directed percolation, kinetic roughening and pattern formation.