The first contribution by Carter covers the theory of finite groups of Lie type, an important field of current mathematical research. In the second part, Platonov and Yanchevskii survey the structure of finite-dimensional division algebras, including an account of reduced K-theory.

The present book was conceived as an introduction for the user of universal algebra, rather than a handbook for the specialist, but when the first edition appeared in 1965, there were practically no other books entir ly devoted to the subject, whether introductory or specialized. Today the specialist in the field is well provided for, but there is still a demand for an introduction to the subject to suit the user, and this seemed to justify a reissue of the book. Naturally some changes have had to be made; in particular, I have corrected all errors that have been brought to my notice. Besides errors, some obscurities in the text have been removed and the references brought up to date. I should like to express my thanks to a number of correspondents for their help, in particular C. G. d'Ambly, W. Felscher, P. Goralcik, P. J. Higgins, H.-J. Hoehnke, J. R. Isbell, A. H. Kruse, E. J. Peake, D. Suter, J. S. Wilson. But lowe a special debt to G. M. Bergman, who has provided me with extensive comments. particularly on Chapter VII and the supplementary chapters. I have also con sulted reviews of the first edition, as well as the Italian and Russian translations."

Basic Algebra is the first volume of a new and revised edition of P.M. Cohn's classic three-volume text Algebra which is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding introductory algebra textbooks. For this edition, the text has been reworked and updated into two self-contained, companion volumes, covering advanced topics in algebra for second- and third-year undergraduate and postgraduate research students. In this first volume, the author covers the important results of algebra; the companion volume, Further Algebra and Applications, brings more advanced topics and focuses on the applications. Readers should have some knowledge of linear algebra and have met groups and fields before, although all the essential facts and definitions are recalled. The coverage is comprehensive and includes topics such as: - Groups - lattices and categories - rings, modules and algebras - fields The author gives a clear account, supported by worked examples, with full proofs. There are numerous exercises with occasional hints, and some historical remarks.

From the reviews: ..". The book under review consists of two monographs on geometric aspects of group theory ... Together, these two articles form a wide-ranging survey of combinatorial group theory, with emphasis very much on the geometric roots of the subject. This will be a useful reference work for the expert, as well as providing an overview of the subject for the outsider or novice. Many different topics are described and explored, with the main results presented but not proved. This allows the interested reader to get the flavour of these topics without becoming bogged down in detail. Both articles give comprehensive bibliographies, so that it is possible to use this book as the starting point for a more detailed study of a particular topic of interest. ..." Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, 1996

This volume presents a thorough discussion of systems of linear equations and their solutions. Vectors and matrices are introduced as required and an account of determinants is given. Great emphasis has been placed on keeping the presentation as simple as possible, with many illustrative examples. While all mathematical assertions are proved, the student is led to view the mathematical content intuitively, as an aid to understanding. The text treats the coordinate geometry of lines, planes and quadrics, provides a natural application for linear algebra and at the same time furnished a geometrical interpretation to illustrate the algebraic concepts.

This volume presents a thorough discussion of systems of linear equations and their solutions. Vectors and matrices are introduced as required and an account of determinants is given. Great emphasis has been placed on keeping the presentation as simple as possible, with many illustrative examples. While all mathematical assertions are proved, the student is led to view the mathematical content intuitively, as an aid to understanding.

The text treats the coordinate geometry of lines, planes and quadrics, provides a natural application for linear algebra and at the same time furnished a geometrical interpretation to illustrate the algebraic concepts.

Fundamental to all areas of mathematics, algebra provides the cornerstone for the student’s development. The concepts are often intuitive, but some can take years of study to absorb fully. For over twenty years, the author’s classic three-volume set, Algebra, has been regarded by many as the most outstanding introductory work available. This work, Classic Algebra, combines a fully updated Volume 1 with the essential topics from Volumes 2 and 3, and provides a self-contained introduction to the subject. In addition to the basic concepts, advanced material is introduced, giving the reader an insight into more advanced algebraic topics. The clear presentation style gives this book the edge over others on the subject. Undergraduates studying first courses in algebra will benefit from the clear exposition and perfect balance of theory, examples and exercises. The book provides a good basis for those studying more advanced algebra courses.

• Complete and rigorous coverage of the important basic concepts
• Topics covered include sets, mappings, groups, matrices, vector spaces, fields, rings and modules
• Written in a lucid style, with each concept carefully explained
• Introduces more advanced topics and suggestions for further reading
• Contains over 800 exercises, including many solutions

This is the first volume of a revised edition of P.M. Cohn's classic three-volume text Algebra, widely regarded as one of the most outstanding introductory algebra textbooks. This volume covers the important results of algebra. Readers should have some knowledge of linear algebra, groups and fields, although all the essential facts and definitions are recalled.

The theory of Lie groups rests on three pillars: analysis, topology and algebra. Correspondingly it is possible to distinguish several phases, overlapping in some degree, in its development. It also allows one to regard the subject from different points of view, and it is the algebraic standpoint which has been chosen in this tract as the most suitable one for a first introduction to the subject. The aim has been to develop the beginnings of the theory of Lie groups, especially the fundamental theorems of Lie relating the group to its infinitesimal generators (the Lie algebra); this account occupies the first five chapters. Next to Lie's theorems in importance come the basic properties of subgroups and homomorphisms, and they form the content of Chapter VI. The final chapter, on the universal covering group, could perhaps be most easily dispensed with, but, it is hoped, justifies its existence by bringing back into circulation Schreier's elegant method of constructing covering groups.

Algebraists have studied noncommutative fields (also called skew fields or division rings) less thoroughly than their commutative counterparts. Most existing accounts have been confined to division algebras, i.e. skew fields that are finite dimensional over their center. This work offers the first comprehensive account of skew fields. It is based on the author's LMS Lecture Note Volume "Skew Field Constructions." The axiomatic foundation and a precise description of the embedding problem precedes an account of algebraic and topological construction methods. The author presents his general embedding theory with full proofs, leading to the construction of skew fields. The author has simplified his treatment of equations over skew fields and has extended it by the use of matrix methods. A separate chapter describes valuations and orderings on skew fields, with a construction applicable to free fields. Numerous exercises test the reader's understanding, presenting further aspects and open problems in concise form. Notes and comments at the end of chapters provide historical background. The book will appeal to researchers in algebra, logic, and algebraic geometry, as well as graduate students in these fields.

The first contribution by Carter covers the theory of finite groups of Lie type, an important field of current mathematical research. In the second part, Platonov and Yanchevskii survey the structure of finite-dimensional division algebras, including an account of reduced K-theory.

Non-commutative fields (also called skew fields or division rings) have not been studied as thoroughly as their commutative counterparts and most accounts have hitherto been confined to division algebras, that is skew fields finite-dimensional over their centre. Based on the author's LMS lecture note volume Skew Field Constructions, the present work offers a comprehensive account of skew fields. The axiomatic foundation and a precise description of the embedding problem are followed by an account of algebraic and topological construction methods, in particular, the author's general embedding theory is presented with full proofs, leading to the construction of skew fields. The powerful coproduct theorems of G. M. Bergman are proved here as well as the properties of the matrix reduction functor, a useful but little-known construction providing a source of examples and counter-examples. The construction and basic properties of existentially closed skew fields are given, leading to an example of a model class with an infinite forcing companion which is not axiomatizable. The treatment of equations over skew fields has been simplified and extended by the use of matrix methods, and the beginnings of non-commutative algebraic geometry are presented, with a precise account of the problems that need to be overcome for a satisfactory theory. A separate chapter describes valuations and orderings on skew fields, with a construction applicable to free fields. Numerous exercises test the reader's understanding, presenting further aspects and open problems in concise form, and notes and comments at the ends of chapters provide historical background.

From the reviews: "... The book under review consists of two monographs on geometric aspects of group theory ... Together, these two articles form a wide-ranging survey of combinatorial group theory, with emphasis very much on the geometric roots of the subject. This will be a useful reference work for the expert, as well as providing an overview of the subject for the outsider or novice. Many different topics are described and explored, with the main results presented but not proved. This allows the interested reader to get the flavour of these topics without becoming bogged down in detail. Both articles give comprehensive bibliographies, so that it is possible to use this book as the starting point for a more detailed study of a particular topic of interest. ..." Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, 1996

The present book was conceived as an introduction for the user of universal algebra, rather than a handbook for the specialist, but when the first edition appeared in 1965, there were practically no other books entir ly devoted to the subject, whether introductory or specialized. Today the specialist in the field is well provided for, but there is still a demand for an introduction to the subject to suit the user, and this seemed to justify a reissue of the book. Naturally some changes have had to be made; in particular, I have corrected all errors that have been brought to my notice. Besides errors, some obscurities in the text have been removed and the references brought up to date. I should like to express my thanks to a number of correspondents for their help, in particular C. G. d'Ambly, W. Felscher, P. Goralcik, P. J. Higgins, H.-J. Hoehnke, J. R. Isbell, A. H. Kruse, E. J. Peake, D. Suter, J. S. Wilson. But lowe a special debt to G. M. Bergman, who has provided me with extensive comments. particularly on Chapter VII and the supplementary chapters. I have also con sulted reviews of the first edition, as well as the Italian and Russian translations."

Fundamental to all areas of mathematics, algebra provides the cornerstone for the student's development. The concepts are often intuitive, but some can take years of study to fully absorb. For over twenty years, the author's classic three-volume set, Algebra, has been regarded by many as the most outstanding introductory work available. This work, Classic Algebra, combines a fully updated Volume 1 with the essential topics from Volumes 2 and 3, and provides a self-contained introduction to the subject.

• Complete and rigorous coverage of the important basic concepts
• Topics covered include sets, mappings, groups, matrices, vector spaces, fields, rings and modules
• Written in a lucid style, with each concept carefully explained
• Introduces more advanced topics and suggestions for further reading
• Contains over 800 exercises, including many solutions

Undergraduates studying first courses in algebra will benefit from the clear exposition and perfect balance of theory, examples and exercises. The book provides a good basis for those studying more advanced algebra courses.

"There is no better textbook on algebra than the volumes by Cohn" - Walter Benz, Universität Hamburg, Germany

Proving that a polynomial ring in one variable over a field is a principal ideal domain can be done by means of the Euclidean algorithm, but this does not extend to more variables. However, if the variables are not allowed to commute, giving a free associative algebra, then there is a generalization, the weak algorithm, which can be used to prove that all one-sided ideals are free. This book presents the theory of free ideal rings (firs) in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on rings with a weak algorithm, exemplified by free associative algebras. There is also a full account of localization which is treated for general rings but the features arising in firs are given special attention. Each section has a number of exercises, including some open problems, and each chapter ends in a historical note.