This survey covers groups of homotopy self-equivalence classes of topological spaces, and the homotopy type of spaces of homotopy self-equivalences. For manifolds, the full group of equivalences and the mapping class group are compared, as are the corresponding spaces. Included are methods of calculation, numerous calculations, finite generation results, Whitehead torsion and other areas. Some 330 references are given. The book assumes familiarity with cell complexes, homology and homotopy. Graduate students and established researchers can use it for learning, for reference, and to determine the current state of knowledge.

This book is intended as a textbook for a first-year graduate course on algebraic topology, with as strong flavoring in smooth manifold theory. Starting with general topology, it discusses differentiable manifolds, cohomology, products and duality, the fundamental group, homology theory, and homotopy theory. It covers most of the topics all topologists will want students to see, including surfaces, Lie groups and fibre bundle theory. With a thoroughly modern point of view, it is the first truly new textbook in topology since Spanier, almost 25 years ago. Although the book is comprehensive, there is no attempt made to present the material in excessive generality, except where generality improves the efficiency and clarity of the presentation.

This is a research monograph covering the majority of known results on the problem of constructing compact symplectic manifolds with no Kaehler structure with an emphasis on the use of rational homotopy theory. In recent years, some new and stimulating conjectures and problems have been formulated due to an influx of homotopical ideas. Examples include the Lupton-Oprea conjecture, the Benson-Gordon conjecture, both of which are in the spirit of some older and still unsolved problems (e.g. Thurston's conjecture and Sullivan's problem). Our explicit aim is to clarify the interrelations between certain aspects of symplectic geometry and homotopy theory in the framework of the problems mentioned above. We expect that the reader is aware of the basics of differential geometry and algebraic topology at graduate level.

From the reviews:
.."., the book must be of great help for a researcher who already has some idea of Lie theory, wants to employ it in his everyday research and/or teaching, and needs a source for customary reference on the subject. From my viewpoint, the volume is perfectly fit to serve as such a source, ... On the whole, it is quite a pleasure, after making yourself comfortable in that favourite office armchair of yours, just to keep the volume gently in your hands and browse it slowly and thoughtfully; and after all, what more on Earth can one expect of any book?"
"The New Zealand Mathematical Society Newsletter"
..". Both parts are very nicely written and can be strongly recommended."
"European Mathematical Society"

The aim of cyclic cohomology theories is the approximation of K-theory by cohomology theories defined by natural chain complexes. The basic example is the approximation of topological K-theory by de Rham cohomology via the classical Chern character. A cyclic cohomology theory for operator algebras is developed in the book, based on Connes' work on noncommutative geometry. Asymptotic cyclic cohomology faithfully reflects the basic properties and features of operator K-theory. It thus becomes a natural target for a Chern character. The central result of the book is a general Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch theorem in noncommutative geometry with values in asymptotic cyclic homology. Besides this, the book contains numerous examples and calculations of asymptotic cyclic cohomology groups.

A systematic treatment of the classification of compact 2-manifolds, the fundamental group, covering spaces, singular homology theory, and singular cohomology theory - avoiding all unnecessary definitions, terminology, and technical machinery. Wherever possible, the geometric motivation behind the various concepts is emphasised. The text contains material from the authors earlier book, Algebraic Topology: An Introduction (GTM 56), together with almost all of the now out-of- print Singular Homology Theory (GTM 70) - all of it naturally carefully revised, and brought up to date.

The purpose of this book is to present the available (sometimes only partial) solutions to the two fundamental problems: the existence problem and the classification problem for holomorphic structures in a given topological vector bundle over a compact complex surface. Special features of the nonalgebraic surfaces case, like irreducible vector bundles and stability with respect to a Gauduchon metric, are considered. The reader requires a grounding in geometry at graduate student level. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in complex, algebraic and differential geometry.

Primarily concerned with the study of cohomology theories of general topological spaces with "general coefficient systems", the parts of sheaf theory covered here are those areas important to algebraic topology. Among the many innovations in this book, the concept of the "tautness" of a subspace is introduced and exploited; the fact that sheaf theoretic cohomology satisfies the homotopy property is proved for general topological spaces; and relative cohomology is introduced into sheaf theory. A list of exercises at the end of each chapter helps students to learn the material, and solutions to many of the exercises are given in an appendix. This new edition of a classic has been substantially rewritten and now includes some 80 additional examples and further explanatory material, as well as new sections on Cech cohomology, the Oliver transfer, intersection theory, generalised manifolds, locally homogeneous spaces, homological fibrations and p- adic transformation groups. Readers should have a thorough background in elementary homological algebra and in algebraic topology.

Knot theory is a rapidly developing field of research with many applications not only for mathematics. The present volume, written by a well-known specialist, gives a complete survey of knot theory from its very beginnings to today's most recent research results. The topics include Alexander polynomials, Jones type polynomials, and Vassiliev invariants. With its appendix containing many useful tables and an extended list of references with over 3,500 entries it is an indispensable book for everyone concerned with knot theory. The book can serve as an introduction to the field for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Also researchers working in outside areas such as theoretical physics or molecular biology will benefit from this thorough study which is complemented by many exercises and examples.

An Invitation to Computational Homotopy is an introduction to elementary algebraic topology for those with an interest in computers and computer programming. It expertly illustrates how the basics of the subject can be implemented on a computer through its focus on fully-worked examples designed to develop problem solving techniques. The transition from basic theory to practical computation raises a range of non-trivial algorithmic issues which will appeal to readers already familiar with basic theory and who are interested in developing computational aspects. The book covers a subset of standard introductory material on fundamental groups, covering spaces, homology, cohomology and classifying spaces as well as some less standard material on crossed modules. These topics are covered in a way that hints at potential applications of topology in areas of computer science and engineering outside the usual territory of pure mathematics, and also in a way that demonstrates how computers can be used to perform explicit calculations within the domain of pure algebraic topology itself. The initial chapters include in-depth examples from data mining, biology and digital image analysis, while the later chapters cover a range of computational examples on the cohomology of classifying spaces that are likely beyond the reach of a purely paper-and-pen approach to the subject. An Invitation to Computational Homotopy serves as a self-contained and informal introduction to these topics and their implementation in the sphere of computer science. Written in a dynamic and engaging style, it skilfully showcases a range of useful machine computations, and will serve as an invaluable aid to graduate students working with algebraic topology.

The aim of this work is the definition of the polyhedral compactification of the Bruhat-Tits building of a reductive group over a local field. In addition, an explicit description of the boundary is given. In order to make this work as self-contained as possible and also accessible to non-experts in Bruhat-Tits theory, the construction of the Bruhat-Tits building itself is given completely.

This invaluable book is an introduction to knot and link invariants as generalized amplitudes for a quasi-physical process. The demands of knot theory, coupled with a quantum-statistical framework, create a context that naturally and powerfully includes an extraordinary range of interrelated topics in topology and mathematical physics. The author takes a primarily combinatorial stance toward knot theory and its relations with these subjects. This stance has the advantage of providing direct access to the algebra and to the combinatorial topology, as well as physical ideas.The book is divided into two parts: Part I is a systematic course on knots and physics starting from the ground up, and Part II is a set of lectures on various topics related to Part I. Part II includes topics such as frictional properties of knots, relations with combinatorics, and knots in dynamical systems.In this new edition, an article on Virtual Knot Theory and Khovanov Homology has beed added.

Bruhat-Tits theory that suffices for the main applications. Part III treats modern topics that have become important in current research. Part IV provides a few sample applications of the theory. The appendices contain further details on the topic of integral models.

In keeping with the general aim of the "D.M.V.-Seminar" series, this book is princi pally a report on a group of lectures held at Blaubeuren by Professors H. J. Baues, S. Halperin and J.-M. Lemaire, from October 30 to November 7, 1988. These lec tures were devoted to providing an introduction to the theory of models in algebraic homotopy. The three lecturers acted in concert to produce a coherent exposition of the theory. Commencing from a common starting point, each of them then proceeded naturally to his own subject of research. The reader who is already familiar with their scientific work will certainly give the lecturers their due. Having been asked by the speakers to take on the responsibility of writing down the notes, it seemed to me that the material elucidated in the short span of fifteen hours was too dense to appear, unedited, in book form. Some amplification was necessary. Of course I submitted to them the final version of this book, which received their approval. I thank them for this token of confidence. I am also grateful to all three for their help and advice in writing this book. I am particularly indebted to J.-M. Lemaire who was indeed very often consulted. For basic notions (in particular those concerning homotopy groups, CW complexes, (co)homology and homological algebra) the reader is advised to refer to the fundamental books written by E. H. Spanier [47], R. M. Switzer [49] and G. Whitehead [52].

In presenting this treatment of homological algebra, it is a pleasure to acknowledge the help and encouragement which I have had from all sides. Homological algebra arose from many sources in algebra and topology. Decisive examples came from the study of group extensions and their factor sets, a subject I learned in joint work with OTTO SCHIL LING. A further development of homological ideas, with a view to their topological applications, came in my long collaboration with SAMUEL ElLENBERG; to both collaborators, especial thanks. For many years the Air Force Office of Scientific Research supported my research projects on various subjects now summarized here; it is a pleasure to acknowledge their lively understanding of basic science. Both REINHOLD BAER and JOSEF SCHMID read and commented on my entire manuscript; their advice has led to many improvements. ANDERS KOCK and JACQUES RIGUET have read the entire galley proof and caught many slips and obscurities. Among the others whose sug gestions have served me well, I note FRANK ADAMS, LOUIS AUSLANDER, WILFRED COCKCROFT, ALBRECHT DOLD, GEOFFREY HORROCKS, FRIED RICH KASCH, JOHANN LEICHT, ARUNAS LIULEVICIUS, JOHN MOORE, DIE TER PUPPE, JOSEPH YAO, and a number of my current students at the University of Chicago - not to m ntion the auditors of my lectures at Chicago, Heidelberg, Bonn, Frankfurt, and Aarhus. My wife, DOROTHY, has cheerfully typed more versions of more chapters than she would like to count. Messrs."

In recent years new topological methods, especially the theory of sheaves founded by J. LERAY, have been applied successfully to algebraic geometry and to the theory of functions of several complex variables. H. CARTAN and J. -P. SERRE have shown how fundamental theorems on holomorphically complete manifolds (STEIN manifolds) can be for mulated in terms of sheaf theory. These theorems imply many facts of function theory because the domains of holomorphy are holomorphically complete. They can also be applied to algebraic geometry because the complement of a hyperplane section of an algebraic manifold is holo morphically complete. J. -P. SERRE has obtained important results on algebraic manifolds by these and other methods. Recently many of his results have been proved for algebraic varieties defined over a field of arbitrary characteristic. K. KODAIRA and D. C. SPENCER have also applied sheaf theory to algebraic geometry with great success. Their methods differ from those of SERRE in that they use techniques from differential geometry (harmonic integrals etc. ) but do not make any use of the theory of STEIN manifolds. M. F. ATIYAH and W. V. D. HODGE have dealt successfully with problems on integrals of the second kind on algebraic manifolds with the help of sheaf theory. I was able to work together with K. KODAIRA and D. C. SPENCER during a stay at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton from 1952 to 1954."

Springer-Verlag began publishing books in higher mathematics in 1920, when the series "Grundlehren der mathematischen" "Wissenschaften," initially conceived as a series of advanced textbooks, was founded by Richard Courant. A few years later, a new series "Ergebnisse der Mathematik und Ihrer" "Grenzgebiete," survey reports of recent mathematical research, was added.
Of over 400 books published in these series, many have become recognized classics and remain standard references for their subject. Springer is reissueing a selected few of these highly successful books in a new, inexpensive softcover edition to make them easily accessible to younger generations of students and researchers.

Etale Cohomology is one of the most important methods in modern Algebraic Geometry and Number Theory. It has, in the last decades, brought fundamental new insights in arithmetic and algebraic geometric problems with many applications and many important results. The book gives a short and easy introduction into the world of Abelian Categories, Derived Functors, Grothendieck Topologies, Sheaves, General Etale Cohomology, and Etale Cohomology of Curves."

This book makes a systematic study of the relations between the etale cohomology of a scheme and the orderings of its residue fields. A major result is that in high degrees, etale cohomology is cohomology of the real spectrum. It also contains new contributions in group cohomology and in topos theory. It is of interest to graduate students and researchers who work in algebraic geometry (not only real) and have some familiarity with the basics of etale cohomology and Grothendieck sites. Independently, it is of interest to people working in the cohomology theory of groups or in topos theory.

Topology as a subject, in our opinion, plays a central role in university education. It is not really possible to design courses in differential geometry, mathematical analysis, differential equations, mechanics, functional analysis that correspond to the temporary state of these disciplines without involving topological concepts. Therefore, it is essential to acquaint students with topo logical research methods already in the first university courses. This textbook is one possible version of an introductory course in topo logy and elements of differential geometry, and it absolutely reflects both the authors' personal preferences and experience as lecturers and researchers. It deals with those areas of topology and geometry that are most closely related to fundamental courses in general mathematics. The educational material leaves a lecturer a free choice in designing his own course or his own seminar. We draw attention to a number of particularities in our book. The first chap ter, according to the authors' intention, should acquaint readers with topolo gical problems and concepts which arise from problems in geometry, analysis, and physics. Here, general topology (Ch. 2) is presented by introducing con structions, for example, related to the concept of quotient spaces, much earlier than various other notions of general topology thus making it possible for students to study important examples of manifolds (two-dimensional surfaces, projective spaces, orbit spaces, etc.) as topological spaces, immediately."

Intended for use both as a text and a reference, this book is an exposition of the fundamental ideas of algebraic topology. The first third of the book covers the fundamental group, its definition and its application in the study of covering spaces. The focus then turns to homology theory, including cohomology, cup products, cohomology operations, and topological manifolds. The remaining third of the book is devoted to Homotropy theory, covering basic facts about homotropy groups, applications to obstruction theory, and computations of homotropy groups of spheres. In the later parts, the main emphasis is on the application to geometry of the algebraic tools developed earlier.

The equivariant derived category of sheaves is introduced. All usual functors on sheaves are extended to the equivariant situation. Some applications to the equivariant intersection cohomology are given.
The theory may be useful to specialists in representation theory, algebraic geometry or topology.

The action of a compact Lie group, G, on a compact sympletic manifold gives rise to some remarkable combinatorial invariants. The simplest and most interesting of these is the moment polytopes, a convex polyhedron which sits inside the dual of the Lie algebra of G. One of the main goals of this monograph is to describe what kinds of geometric information are encoded in this polytope. This book is addressed to researchers and can be used as a semester text.

Symmetry has a strong impact on the number and shape of solutions to variational problems. This has been observed, for instance, in the search for periodic solutions of Hamiltonian systems or of the nonlinear wave equation; when one is interested in elliptic equations on symmetric domains or in the corresponding semiflows; and when one is looking for "special" solutions of these problems. This book is concerned with Lusternik-Schnirelmann theory and Morse-Conley theory for group invariant functionals. These topological methods are developed in detail with new calculations of the equivariant Lusternik-Schnirelmann category and versions of the Borsuk-Ulam theorem for very general classes of symmetry groups. The Morse-Conley theory is applied to bifurcation problems, in particular to the bifurcation of steady states and hetero-clinic orbits of O(3)-symmetric flows; and to the existence of periodic solutions nearequilibria of symmetric Hamiltonian systems. Some familiarity with the usualminimax theory and basic algebraic topology is assumed.

Combinatorial group theory is a loosely defined subject, with close connections to topology and logic. With surprising frequency, problems in a wide variety of disciplines, including differential equations, automorphic functions and geometry, have been distilled into explicit questions about groups, typically of the following kind: Are the groups in a given class finite (e.g., the Burnside problem)? Finitely generated? Finitely presented? What are the conjugates of a given element in a given group? What are the subgroups of that group? Is there an algorithm for deciding for every pair of groups in a given class whether they are isomorphic or not? The objective of combinatorial group theory is the systematic development of algebraic techniques to settle such questions. In view of the scope of the subject and the extraordinary variety of groups involved, it is not surprising that no really general theory exists. These notes, bridging the very beginning of the theory to new results and developments, are devoted to a number of topics in combinatorial group theory and serve as an introduction to the subject on the graduate level.