Essentials of Constraint Programming

From the reviews:

"The book distinguishes itself as a concise, formal introduction to the field of constraint programming. In general, concision and precision come in pairs in this book, and the authors should be congratulated for this. … the uniform style of this book makes it easier and easier to be read. Its structure is also well designed and concocts to create a fluid presentation … . Anybody looking for a formal, essential but never shallow introduction to the field should definitely consider this book." (Rosella Gennari, Journal of Logic, Language and Information, Vol. 14, 2005)