Classics of Elastic Wave Theory (SEG Geophysics Reprint Series No. 24) brings together 16 key p pers on elastic wave theory, starting with Hooke's 1678 "Potentiva Restitutiva, or Spring." The papers are grouped into five historical periods through the mid-20th century. All of these papers, which often are hard to find, are presented in English. This volume explores fundamentals of theory by Hooke, Navier, Cauchy, Green, Kelvin, Stokes, and Betti; key early papers on anisotropy by Christoffel and Rudzki; fundamentals of reflection and transmission amplitudes by Knott and Zoeppritz; surface waves by Rayleigh, Love, and Stoneley; the first synthetic seismogram by Lamb; and the defining paper on poroelasticity by Gassmann. In addition, a reprint of A. E. H. Love's "Historical Introduction" from his classic Treatise on the Mathematical Theory of Elasticity provides an excellent overview of elastic wave theory to the end of the 19th century. Each paper is accompanied by an author biography. An editors' introduction provides a modern connection to the many fields of science to which the papers are fundamental today. The book includes extensive references and is an invaluable source for anyone working in elastic wave theory or for those with a general interest in the development and evolution of wave propagation.