'The book is mainly addressed to the non-expert reader, in that it assumes only a little background in complex analysis and algebraic geometry, but no previous knowledge in transcendental number theory is required. The technical language is introduced smoothly, and illustrative examples are provided where appropriate ... The book is carefully written, and the relevant literature is provided in the list of references. 'Mathematical Reviews ClippingsThis book gives an introduction to some central results in transcendental number theory with application to periods and special values of modular and hypergeometric functions. It also includes related results on Calabi-Yau manifolds. Most of the material is based on the author's own research and appears for the first time in book form. It is presented with minimal of technical language and no background in number theory is needed. In addition, except the last chapter, all chapters include exercises suitable for graduate students. It is a nice book for graduate students and researchers interested in transcendence.