This revised and updated second edition of a highly successful text embraces a universal approach to three major developments in classical physics: namely, nonlinear waves, solitons, and chaos. The authors include new material on biology and laser theory, and go on to discuss important recent developments such as soliton metamorphosis. They also offer a new section on a direct method to study transverse instabilities of pulse-like structures. A comprehensive treatment of basic plasma and fluid configurations and instabilities is followed by a study of the relevant nonlinear structures....