Elements of mathematics. Lie groups and Lie algebras. Chapters 1--3. Transl. from the French. (Q3843151)

This is a softcover edition of the second English translation (1989; Zbl 0672.22001) of the first three chapters of ``Lie groups and Lie algebras'' by Nicolas Bourbaki. The reviewer is not quite sure that the young generation of mathematicians knows about the legend of Nicolas Bourbaki, the name used by a group of mathematicians who decided more than 30 years ago to rewrite the foundation of modern mathematics. The present book is very different from the ``numbered'' books by Bourbaki devoted to the ``very'' foundation as set theory, algebra, topology, etc. (see Algebra I, Springer 1998; Zbl 0904.00001). Together with ``Commutative algebra'', ``Spectral theory'' and ``Differentiable and analytic manifolds'', it is devoted to more specialized topics. The present three chapters deal respectively with: Chapter 1: Basic notions on Lie algebras and structure theory of finite-dimensional Lie algebras; Chapter 2: Free Lie algebras and their relations with free groups and free associative algebras; Chapter 3: Lie groups and their relations with Lie algebras. The book contains many exercises, historical notes and a summary of certain properties of finite-dimensional Lie algebras over a field of characteristic 0. Chapters 1 and 2 are relatively independent from the other parts of ``The elements of mathematics'' which makes them very useful and readable even for a student. Despite its age, the book is still an excellent source for references. The first two chapters can be used as a base for a graduate course on Lie algebras as well.