Geometry: Euclid and Beyond

This book offers a unique opportunity to understand the essence of one of the great thinkers of western civilization. A guided reading of Euclid's Elements leads to a critical discussion and rigorous modern treatment of Euclid's geometry and its more recent descendants, with complete proofs. Topics include the introduction of coordinates, the theory of area, geometrical constructions and finite field extensions, history of the parallel postulate, the various non-Euclidean geometries, and the regular and semi-regular polyhedra. The text is intended for junior- to senior-level mathematics majors. Robin Hartshorne is a professor of mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley, and is the author of Foundations of Projective Geometry (Benjamin, 1967) and Algebraic Geometry (Springer, 1977).