These notes are the result of an interrupted sequence of seminars on optimiza tion theory with economic applications starting in 1964-1965. This is mentioned by way of explaining the uneven style that pervades them. Lately I have been using the notes for a two semester course on the subject for graduate students in economics. Except for the introductory survey, the notes are intended to provide an appetizer to more sophisticated aspects of optimization theory and economic theory. The notes are divided into three parts. Part I collects most of the results on constrained extremf of...