Basic Notions of Algebra

From the reviews: "This is one of the few mathematical books, the reviewer has read from cover to cover ... The main merit is that nearly on every page you will find some unexpected insights..." Zentralblatt für Mathematik und Ihre Grenzgebiete, 1991 "...which I read like a novel and undoubtedly will become a classic. ... A merit of the book under review is that it contains several important articles from journals which are not all so easily accessible. ... Furthermore, at the end of the book, there are some Notes by the author which are indispensible for the necessary historical background information. ... This valuable book should be on the shelf of every algebraist and algebraic geometer." Nieuw Archief voor Wiskunde, 1992 "... There are few proofs in full, but there is an exhilarating combination of sureness of foot and lightness of touch in the exposition ... which transports the reader effortlessly across the whole spectrum of algebra.... The challenge to Ezekiel, "Can these bones live?" is, all too often, the reaction of students when introduced to the bare bones of the concepts and constructs of modern algebra. Shafarevich's book - which reads as comfortably as an extended