Provides complete coverage of both the Lyapunov and Input-Output stability theories, ina readable, concise manner. * Supplies an introduction to the popular backstepping approach to nonlinear control design * Gives a thorough discussion of the concept of input-to-state stability * Includes a discussion of the fundamentals of feedback linearization and related results. * Details complete coverage of the fundamentals of dissipative system's theory and its application in the so-called L2gain control prooblem, for the first time in an introductory level textbook. * Contains a thorough discussion of nonlinear observers, a very important problem, not commonly encountered in textbooksat this level.