Mathieu P. Stienon

One of three modern references on homological algebra, Gelfand & Manin is one of my favorite mathematics books. It was the first book to give a detailed exposition of the derived categories introduced by Grothendieck and Verdier in the 1960s. The language is abstract, elegant and really powerful -- mathematics at its best. I find the numerous included examples hinting at applications of the theory truly inspiring.