The Arithmetic of Elliptic Curves

The preface to a textbook frequently contains the author's justification for offering the public "another book" on the given subject. For our chosen topic, the arithmetic of elliptic curves, there is little need for such an apologia. Considering the vast amount of research currently being done in this area, the paucity of introductory texts is somewhat surprising. Parts of the theory are contained in various books of Lang (especially [La 3] and [La 5]); and there are books of Koblitz ([Kob]) and