Serre

An invaluable summary of research work done in the period from 1978 to the present

The seminal ideas of this book played a key role in the development of group theory since the 70s. Several generations of mathematicians learned geometric ideas in group theory from this book. In it, the author proves the fundamental theorem for the special cases of free groups and tree products before dealing with the proof of the general case. This new edition is ideal for graduate students and researchers in algebra, geometry and topology.

The sensational US debut of a major French writer—an intense, delicious meringue of a novella In a large country house shut off from the world by a gated garden, three young governesses responsible for the education of a group of little boys are preparing a party. The governesses, however, seem to spend more time running around in a state of frenzied desire than attending to the children’s education. One of their main activities is lying in wait for any passing stranger, and then throwing themselves on him like drunken Maenads. The rest of the time they drift about in a kind of sated, melancholy calm, spied upon by an old man in the house opposite, who watches their goings-on through a telescope. As they hang paper lanterns and prepare for the ball in their own honor, and in honor of the little boys rolling hoops on the lawn, much is mysterious: one reviewer wrote of the book’s “deceptively simple words and phrasing, the transparency of which works like a mirror reflecting back on the reader.” Written with the elegance of old French fables, the dark sensuality of Djuna Barnes and the subtle comedy of Robert Walser, this semi-deranged erotic fairy tale introduces American readers to the marvelous Anne Serre.

From the Preface: "I felt it would be useful for graduate students to see a detailed account of the sequence of mathematical developments which was inspired by the Conjecture, and which ultimately led to its full solution.... I offered a course on Serre's Conjecture to a small group of graduate students in January, 1977 [at the University of California, Berkeley] one year after its solution by Quillen and Suslin. My course was taught very much in the spirit of a mathematical 'guided tour'. Volunteering as the guide, I took upon myself the task of charting a route through all the beautiful mathematics surrounding the main problem to be treated; the 'guide' then leads his audience through the route, on to the destination, pointing out the beautiful sceneries and historical landmarks along the way."

From the reviews: "This book gives a thorough introduction to several theories that are fundamental to research on modular forms. Most of the material, despite its importance, had previously been unavailable in textbook form. Complete and readable proofs are given... In conclusion, this book is a welcome addition to the literature for the growing number of students and mathematicians in other fields who want to understand the recent developments in the theory of modular forms." #Mathematical Reviews# "This book will certainly be indispensable to all those wishing to get an up-to-date initiation to the theory of modular forms." #Publicationes Mathematicae#

Quintessential Anne Serre—this restless, prowling novel explores love as a form of greed, and confused need as one shape of bereftness Anna has been living happily for twenty years with loving, sturdy, outgoing Guillaume when she suddenly (truly at first sight) falls in love with Thomas. Intelligent and handsome, but apparently scarred by a terrible early emotional wound, he reminds Anna of Jude the Obscure. Adrift and lovelorn, she tries unsuccessfully to fend off her attraction, torn between the two men. “How strange it is to leave someone you love for someone you love. You cross a footbridge that has no name, that’s not named in any poem. No, nowhere is a name given to this bridge, and that is why Anna found it so difficult to cross.” Anne Serre offers here, in her third book in English, her most direct novel to date. The Beginners is unpredictable, sensual, exhilarating, oddly moral, perverse, absurd—and unforgettable.