Primer on Mapping Class Groups

Benson Farb is professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago. He is the editor of "Problems on Mapping Class Groups and Related Topics" and the coauthor of "Noncommutative Algebra". Dan Margalit is assistant professor of mathematics at Georgia Institute of Technology.

• *Frontmatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. vii*Preface, pg. xi*Acknowledgments, pg. xiii*Overview, pg. 1*Chapter One. Curves, Surfaces, and Hyperbolic Geometry, pg. 17*Chapter Two. Mapping Class Group Basics, pg. 44*Chapter Three. Dehn Twists, pg. 64*Chapter Four. Generating The Mapping Class Group, pg. 89*Chapter Five. Presentations And Low-Dimensional Homology, pg. 116*Chapter Six. The Symplectic Representation and the Torelli Group, pg. 162*Chapter Seven. Torsion, pg. 200*Chapter Eight. The Dehn-Nielsen-Baer Theorem, pg. 219*Chapter Nine. Braid Groups, pg. 239*Chapter Ten. Teichmuller Space, pg. 263*Chapter Eleven. Teichmuller Geometry, pg. 294*Chapter Twelve. Moduli Space, pg. 342*Chapter Thirteen. The Nielsen-Thurston Classification, pg. 367*Chapter Fourteen. Pseudo-Anosov Theory, pg. 390*Chapter Fifteen. Thurston'S Proof, pg. 424*Bibliography, pg. 447*Index, pg. 465

"It is clear that a lot of care has been taken in the production of this book, something that indicates the authors' love for the subject. This book should now become the standard text for the subject."--Stephen P Humphries, Mathematical Reviews "[T]his is a very pleasant and appealing book and it is an excellent reference for any reader willing to learn about this fascinating part of mathematics."--Raquel Diaz, Alvaro Martinez, European Mathematical Society