A very well-bound book that interlaces so many different fields of math, with excellent introductions. A 1,000 page hardcover bargain! Timothy Gower is a great editor, and so much of what's here is rendered intelligible by what appear to be some very sensible approaches to keeping everything formal but not so far-out that only the expert can make sense of it all. Well, NOBODY can make sense of all this, but what's amazing is how much a mathematically literate person can learn by tracing the connections among topics within this remarkable book. For my money, this isn't just the best math book around, it's perhaps "the best encyclopedia of anything." Really, if you like math, have sound intuition for it, and want to sample its wonders, fork over for this big treat. You can also use it to beat up burglars! I keep it near my large collection of Kershaw edge weapons for just that purpose. I've owned this book for five years, and never tire of it. If there's a college-bound girl or boy you know who loves math, give this to them. This is SO not the trash that's drilled into them for the standardized tests. Gower is also the author of Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction, very worthwhile. Plus he is a certified Math Smarty-Pants, having won the Fields Medal, established by Sally Fields to honor mathematicians who really really like her. That is mean however, because we must set the record straight—she never did say that line while accepting her 2nd Oscar. We love you Sally! Group-Theory Hug!