GW invariants relative to normal crossing divisors

In this paper we introduce a notion of symplectic normal crossing divisor V and define the GW invariant of a symplectic manifold X relative to such a divisor. Our definition includes normal crossing divisors from algebraic geometry. The invariants we define in this paper are key ingredients in symplectic sum type formulas for GW invariants, and extend those defined in our previous joint work with T.H. Parker [16], which covered the case V   was smooth. The main step is the construction of a compact moduli space of relatively stable maps into the pair (X,V)(X,V) in the case V is a symplectic normal crossing divisor in X.