Projective geometry /

Samuel is a distinguished French mathematician, and this text is a gem. It presents the field of projective geometry in simple, accessible terms that can be absorbed by a good, mathematically mature college sophomore or junior. However, the aid and encouragement of a more experienced teacher will be of great assistance for most students since the material is neither standard nor recognizably adjacent to standard approaches in most US undergraduate curricula. The presentation is in the form of a monograph; there are no exercises. Samuel gives students a view of some of the most beautiful results of modern geometry and some introductory insight into algebraic geometry. Translated from the French, the work is gracefully written and provides the reader with an introduction to the joys and frustrations of mathematical elegance. Other good works dealing with this subject matter include Reinhold Baer's Linear Algebra and Projective Geometry (1952), and Robin Hartshorne's Foundation of Projective Geometry (1967). However, the accessibility and beauty of Samuel's book make it a desirable holding for any undergraduate library that supports a good mathematics curriculum. -J. Cunningham, Susquehanna University