Abstract algebra : a concrete introduction

This is a new text for the Abstract Algebra course. The author has written this text with a unique, yet historical, approach: solvability by radicals. This approach depends on a fields-first organization. However, professors wishing to commence their course with group theory will find that the Table of Contents is highly flexible, and contains a generous amount of group coverage. Booknews Intended for an introductory-level class, this textbook outlines the preliminaries of abstract algebra and the algebraic extension fields before going on to discuss elementary group theory, polynomial equations not solvable by radicals, and finite groups. Its pedagogical object is to introduce the fundamental structures of modern abstract algebra (fields, rings, and groups); its method is to set a problem as a goal and then to introduce the structures and their properties as they become necessary for the solution of the problem (from the Preface). Redfield teaches at Hamilton College. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) This text features: a fields first approach; a flexible table of contents; a proof technique appendix; a large quantity of exercises; and biographies of mathematicians.