Most conformal invariants can be described in terms of extremal properties. Conformal invariants and extremal problems are therefore intimately linked and form together the central theme of this classic book which is primarily intended for students with approximately a year's background in complex variable theory. The book emphasizes the geometric approach as well as classical and semi-classical results which Lars Ahlfors felt every student of complex analysis should know before embarking on independent research. At the time of the book's original appearance, much of this material had never appeared in book form, particularly the discussion of the theory of extremal length. Schiffer's variational method also receives special attention, and a proof of $\vert a_4\vert \leq 4$ is included which was new at the time of publication. The last two chapters give an introduction to Riemann surfaces, with topological and analytical background supplied to support a proof of the uniformization theorem. Included in this new reprint is a Foreword by Peter Duren, F. W. Gehring, and Brad Osgood, as well as an extensive errata.