No label defined (Q4935950)

This textbook on finite group theory is intended for the reader who has been exposed to about three years of serious mathematics. It is assumed that such a reader has come across the concept of group before. The author has taken a purely algebraic approach and based the choice of material around the notion of conjugacy. The selection and arrangement of the material in this book are quite novel. For example, the author provides a simple proof of the Schur-Zassenhaus theorem and this permits him to include it immediately after the Sylow theorems. The aim is not only to cover basic material, but to present group theory as a vibrant and growing discipline, by including references and discussion of some work up to the present day. The book consists of the following chapters: 0. Introduction and assumed knowledge, 1. Series, soluble groups and nilpotent groups, 2. Immediate consequences of Sylow's theorems, 3. The Schur-Zassenhaus theorem, 4. Finite soluble groups (up to 1960), 5. Fusion, 6. Composite groups, 7. The later theory of finite soluble groups. An appendix contains some proofs for Chapter 0.