Algebra

Rating:
Summary: Exactly how an undergrad abstract algebra book should be
Review: Pretty much any introductory abstract algebra book on the market does a perfectly competent job of introducing the basic definitions and proving the basic theorems that any math student has to know. Artin's book is no exception, and I find his writing style to be very appropriate for this purpose. What sets this book apart is its treatment of topics beyond the basics--things like matrix groups and group representations. I suppose many introductory books shy away from much of the material on matrix groups in Artin's book because it involves a little analysis (and likewise for the section on Riemann surfaces in the chapter on field theory). However, Artin correctly realizes that a reasonably mathematically mature student--even one who doesn't know much analysis--will be able to profit from and enjoy the relatively informal treatments he gives these slightly more advanced topics. Of course these topics can also be found in graduate-level texts, but I for one would much rather be introduced to them via an example-based approach such as that in Artin than through the diagram-chasing obscurantism in more advanced books. I happened upon this book a little late--in fact, only after I'd taken a semester of graduate-level algebra and already felt like analysis was the path I wanted to take--but I'm beginning to think I would have been more keen on going into algebra if I'd first learned it from a book like this one.