"This short book, which is a translation from the original Russian, provides a concise, non-mathematical review of the less controversial results in catastrophe theory. The author begins by describing the established results in the theory of singularities and bifurcation and continues with chapters on the applications of the theory to topics such as wavefront propagation, the distribution of matter within the universe, and optimisation and control. The presentation is enhanced by numerous diagrams. ... This is a short, critical and non-mathematical review of catastrophe theory which will provide a useful introduction to the subject."--Physics Bulletin.