Description
Book SynopsisPresents an introduction to the elements of topology, emphasizing the tools needed for understanding knots, the fundamental group and van Kampen's theorem, for example, which are then applied to concrete problems, such as computing knot groups. This book also explains topics, such as the connections between knot theory and surgery.
Trade Review…a gem and a classic. Every mathematics library should own a copy and every mathematician should read at least some of it. The writing is clear and engaging, while the choice of examples is genius…Rolfsen’s book continues to be a beautiful introduction to some beautiful ideas.
- Scott A. Taylor, MAA Reviews
Table of ContentsIntroduction Codimension one and other matters The fundamental group Three-dimensional PL geometry Seifert surfaces Finite cyclic coverings and the torsion invariants Infinite cyclic coverings and the Alexander invariant Matrix invariants 3-manifolds and surgery on links Foliations, branched covers, fibrations and so on A higher-dimensional sampler Covering spaces and some algebra in a nutshell Dehn's lemma and the loop theorem Table of knots and links References Index.
