This book provides an outstanding first taste of abstract algebra. It is clearly and engagingly written, making it a pleasure to read. It does not offer the sort of rigor and thoroughness that most mathematicians would demand, but it is not, after all, claiming to be an upper-level graduate text. It leaves readers wanting more, in the good sense: it's like an appetizer, stimulating the appetite, not like fast-food, which fails to really fill one up and providing only "empty calories."<br><br>Even if you've already studied abstract algebra and know the subject fairly well, the book may help to provide some degree of context. In particular, many of the exercises at the ends of the chapters are highly applied, giving a sense of WHY one would study it.<br><br>In summary, for those who need a detailed knowledge of abstract algebra, this book is no substitute for books like that by Dummit and Foote, but---especially given that it is inexpensive---it makes a great supplement or introduction, building a framework into which to fit the details, and for those studying the subject just for fun, I see no reason to turn elsewhere.<br><br>Some of the history of abstract algebra in the first chapter is slightly off, but it's not a history book, so that's not really a big deal.