  We consider the massive Thirring model in the laboratory coordinates and
explain how the inverse scattering transform can be developed with the
Riemann-Hilbert approach. The key ingredient of our method is to transform the
corresponding spectral problem to the equivalent forms: one is suitable for the
spectral parameter at the origin and the other one is suitable for the spectral
parameter at infinity. Global solutions to the massive Thirring model are
recovered from the reconstruction formulae at the origin and at infinity.
