Drawing on lecture notes from advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses taught for many years, Cohen and Richard F. Riesenfeld (both computing, U. of Utah) and Gerson Elber (Technion, Israel Institute of Technology) provide a textbook and reference. Because many of the surface methods used with splines rely on curve algorithms and properties, they begin by establishing rigorously the properties that will be used throughout. They assume a good mathematical background, including advanced calculus and matrix algebra. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)