Product Description

Bridging the gap between elementary number theory and the systematic study of advanced topics, A Classical Introduction to Modern Number Theory is a well-developed and accessible text that requires only a familiarity with basic abstract algebra. Historical development is stressed throughout, along with wide-ranging coverage of significant results with comparatively elementary proofs, some of them new. An extensive bibliography and many challenging exercises are also included. This second edition has been corrected and contains two new chapters which provide a complete proof of the Mordell-Weil theorem for elliptic curves over the rational numbers, and an overview of recent progress on the arithmetic of elliptic curves.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #437793 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 389 pages

Customer Reviews

God created the integers
Rosen and Ireland have done a wonderful job of presenting the basics of number theory and in selected topics going out to the bleeding edge of developments. Of all the books I own on number theory this is the one I like the most.

They appear to have taken meticulous care in all aspects of the book: from the selection of material, the arrangement, right down to the details of the proofs. I think this is a fine example of how abstract mathematics should be presented. Try and rewrite one of the proofs yourself, and you'll quickly discover the presentation used in this book is hard to beat.

The exercises are well graded, ranging from the quite simple to very difficult problems. They serve to illustrate and extend the ideas of the main text. They encourage the reader to explore new areas, which I think is one of the hallmarks of a successful math book.

I feel that the book serves the graduate student well and will remain a useful references book for practising number theorists. Of course, number theory is a difficult subject, and one hard to learn from books alone, but this book will give you a better chance than most.