Polynomials and vanishing cycles

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; Part I Singularities at infinity of polynomial functions; 1 Regularity conditions at infinity; 2 Detecting atypical values via singularities at infinity; 3 Local and global fibrations; 4 Families of complex polynomials; 5 Topology of a family and contact structures; Part II The impact of global polar varieties; 6 Polar invariants and topology of affine varieties; 7 Relative polar curves and families of affine hypersurfaces; 8 Monodromy of polynomials; Part III Vanishing cycles of nongeneric pencils.
A systematic geometro-topological approach to vanishing cycles appearing in non-proper fibrations; contains the latest research findings.