The Physics of Flocking: Birth, Death, and Flight in Active Matter

'This book presents the seminal work of John Toner on the dynamics of flocks, which started the whole field of active matter. The presentation of these important theoretical results is pedagogical and self-contained and it will be very useful researchers with an interest in active matter.' Jean-Francois Joanny, Collège de France 'With this book, John Toner has pulled off the nearly impossible, namely, writing a book that is at once fun, intuitive, inspiring, deep and technical. I particularly loved the ease with which he introduces and explains what it means to write down a hydrodynamic theory, in this case with reference to one of the greatest wonders on the planet, the collective motion of animals.' Rob Phillips, California Institute of Technology 'In his characteristic witty style, J. Toner presents in a gentle and pedagogical format the theoretical study that kick-started active matter research. These classical results are complemented by more recent developments that are at the forefront of current research. An essential and pleasurable reading for anyone interested in theoretical active matter.' Francesco Ginelli, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria