The main part of the book is based on a one semester graduate course for students in mathematics. I have attempted to develop the theory of hyperbolic systems of differen tial equations in a systematic way, making as much use as possible ofgradient systems and their algebraic representation. However, despite the strong sim ilarities between the development of ideas here and that found in a Lie alge bras course this is not a book on Lie algebras. The order of presentation has been determined mainly by taking into account that algebraic representation and homomorphism correspondence with a full...