Thjs bibliography had its inception in 1967, when the compilers first attempted a comprehensive cov­ erage of the finite element literature using both manual and computer-based retrieval. Initially, the data base was stored on a card index, but this was subsequently transferred to punched cards and magnetic tape. Computer processing was adopted at an early stage to derive the three index formats from the data base. Over the subsequent years, several versions of the bibliography were produced, with two of these being made available in a report form to other researchers. From the widespread interest in these documents, it became evident that there was a need for a commercially-available comprehensive bibliography in this area. A major effort was undertaken to revise, update, and extend the data base, resulting in this present volume. The bibliography covers the period 1956-1975 primarily, although some earlier publications of histori­ cal interest are included. The citations are not restricted to the English language and documents are listed in many languages and from diverse places of origin. All publication formats were accepted, so that references will be found to books, monographs, journal papers and articles, theses, dissertations, reports, surveys, and the like.