An Analysis of the Finite Element Method 2nd Edition
If you're a numerical analyst or an engineer interested in the basic theory of the finite element method, this book belongs on your shelf. If you have no interest in finite elements but enjoy well written mathematical literature, this book still belongs on your shelf. Though some sections are dated, the contents of this book remain a solid foundation for understanding the behavior of finite element techniques in theory and in practice. Furthermore, while the contents are mathematically rigorous, the authors largely avoid the theorem/lemma/proof of most mathematical books, and instead describe the analysis in an almost conversational tone. Reading Strang and Fix reminds me of reading Lanczos: the book is dense with ideas which are both mathematically and practically interesting, but the presentation is so smooth that one can almost read it as one reads a novel. --David S. Bindel, Berkeley, CA, September 11, 2005.