This volume presents some of the lectures and research during the special programme held at the Newton Institute in 1994. The book, in two parts, begins with an introductory overview. The two parts each contain a mix of substantial expository articles and research papers that outline important and topical ideas. Many of the results have not been presented before. Symplectic methods are one of the most active areas of research in mathematics currently, and this volume will attract much attention.

This volume will give a systematic exposition of known results for free actions by finite groups on S. The text begins with preliminary material on Seifert manifolds and group classification. This is followed by sections dealing with related topics including free bZe/2 and bZe/3 actions on lens/prism manifolds, the reduction theorem and tangential structure.