Following the basic ideas, standard constructions and important examples in the theory of permutation groups, the book goes on to develop the combinatorial and group theoretic structure of primitive groups leading to the proof of the pivotal ONan-Scott Theorem which links finite primitive groups with finite simple groups. Special topics covered include the Mathieu groups, multiply transitive groups, and recent work on the subgroups of the infinite symmetric groups. With its many exercises and detailed references to the current literature, this text can serve as an introduction to permutation groups in a course at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level, as well as for self-study.

Permutation Groups form one of the oldest parts of group theory. Through the ubiquity of group actions and the concrete representations which they afford, both finite and infinite permutation groups arise in many parts of mathematics and continue to be a lively topic of research in their own right. The book begins with the basic ideas, standard constructions and important examples in the theory of permutation groups.It then develops the combinatorial and group theoretic structure of primitive groups leading to the proof of the pivotal O'Nan-Scott Theorem which links finite primitive groups with finite simple groups. Special topics covered include the Mathieu groups, multiply transitive groups, and recent work on the subgroups of the infinite symmetric groups. This text can serve as an introduction to permutation groups in a course at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level, or for self- study. It includes many exercises and detailed references to the current literature.

The most effective way to study any branch of mathematics is to tackle its problems. This wide-ranging anthology offers a straightforward approach, with 431 challenging problems in all phases of group theory, from elementary to the most advanced. The problems are arranged in eleven chapters: subgroups, permutation groups, automorphisms and finitely generated Abelian groups, normal series, commutators and derived series, solvable and nilpotent groups, the group ring and monomial representations, Frattini subgroup, factorization, linear groups, and representations and characters. Each chapter features a preface of pertinent definitions and theorems, and full solutions appear in a separate section. Most of these problems are derived from research papers published since 1950 (a listing of 102 references is supplied). This compilation makes them readily accessible as a supplement to courses in group theory. The presentation places equal emphasis on techniques and results, encouraging the development of both skill and comprehension.