Harold H. Smith III

Though I was certain I would pursue graduate mathematics by the time I encountered this book in my junior year, this book opened the door to the world of number theory and set the stage, via fundamentals, examples and applications, for much of the mathematics I engaged through my undergraduate and graduate career. My copy of the book still resides on my shelf and I do consult it from time to time. I also had the good fortune to have Dr. Childs as a mentor for both my undergraduate and doctoral thesis. It is a book I highly recommend for any students wanting to investigate abstract algebra and number theory.