Schaums Outline of General Topology

I think the Schaum's Outline Series does a real service to students of science and mathematics, but the quality varies a bit from book to book. I find it fascinating that this one--not updated since 1965 despite a new cover and more accurate tally of the number of solved problems, and dealing with an abstract subject that would seem to have a very limited readership--is so well done. It covers most of the first half of Munkres' famous book, or nearly all of Sutherland's newer Introduction to Metric and Topological Spaces, with many more examples and solved problems than either. It is extremely user friendly, and each chapter reads well though, given the abstraction of the topic, I found it best to read each chapter two or three times before working the problems. The first three review chapters were a bit dull, but then it takes off with a nice review of real analysis in chapter 4, "Topology of the Line and Plane." I liked the Hilbert Space coverage in Chapter 8,"Metric and Normed Spaces," but wish there was a bit more on that subject. I am using this for home study some 25 years after dropping topology in college (ironically Munkres was my advisor and teacher!) because I didn't quite yet have the mathematical maturity to take the course. Had I only discovered this book back then, and worked through Chapters 5 - 10 the summer before, I think the course would have been no problem. A great little book, and cheap. As an update: To test my theory that this book might make a topology course pretty easy, I finally took some hours off from work, registered as a graduate student at my local u, and took a semester of General Topology there. Really good experience, beautiful subject, fun. The old Schaum's had prepared me well, and during the course I referred to several of its proofs for nowhere dense spaces, Baire's category theorem, subbases, and connectedness.

Good for an introduction to Topology. Plenty of problems to work out in order to enhance your understanding of the subject.

Schaums Outline books are very useful for those people who wants to begin in any study. As supplementary textbook are great option, before to start with more advanced ones. Well we can't compare this book with the classic about Topology, but that isn't means this book be a bad choice. Actually, this is a great book, is a quickly summary of more important contents of General Topology, and has a great account of exercises not only in Topology field but also basic real analysis and set theory. What is the best of this book? Well, this is a re-impression of a classic Schaums Edition from 1968, for collectors this is a great and cheap option. For a student this one is a great start point, and for teacher, I must to say, for a introductory course this is a good book. About this edition, paper is better than ancient, there isn't change in fonts, or chapters, I recommend for beginners and not mathematicians students! I love it!

Topology has become fundamental to most areas of mathematics because topology is an abstract description of our physical reality. Topology is based on axiomotic definitions in terms of sets and relations, and describes intuitive concepts as continuity, connectedness, metrics. It would be hard to imagine a universe where reality is not continuous at the macro scale, although such reality does exist in the quantum world. As usual, Schaums books gives alot of examples and builds coherently on earlier chapters. After reading this book, I was interested to read other books on Topology, and always coming back to Schaums to check my understanding.

Saved my Topology grade! I had a rubish professor who, while a really cool guy, couldn't teach for the life of him. This book saved both my understandingof toplogy and my grade. I will note that this book alone is NOT sufficient. It's a really good book in ADDITION to whatever book you're using for your class (probably Munkres).

I took the topology course in college as a freshman and since I was lacking some prereqs I needed additional aid and preparation especially while writing my formal proofs. I have been looking for books where the proofs for some theorems will explicitly be written, so that I would get used to the techniques. I ordered this book together with several other Topology books. Unfortunately I did not find the content I was hoping to, but the book is definitely well written and explains concepts giving examples and exercises for a review. At last, it is very important to know what exactly you need, I think the book can be very useful for both, individual study as well as for additional aid to a class textbooks.

The problems in this outline are an excellent way to understand the concepts of topology through practice with problems not requiring difficult proofs. It also provides a good source of examples for those interested in self directed study of the subject.

Hey you, yeah, you. You're desparately searching for topology and analysis supplements, look no further. Just buy this damn book. All there is to say: Dr. Lipschutz is the Lipschitz.

Un buen libro para comenzar con la Topología. Teoría bien explicada, de manera breve pero muy clara, y luego ampliada en muchísimos ejercicios resueltos.

this is a classic course topology, the book is very well written and has lots of well thought exercises for the reader

Helpful for practice problem

Seit meinem Studium der Physik vor über 40 Jahren sind die Bücher dieser Reihe mein ständiger Begleiter, ob im täglichen Gebrauch als Unterstützung bei der Lösung von mathematischen Problemen oder als Nachschlagewerke, falls erlerntes Wissen wieder aufgefrischt werden muß. In ihrer unnachahmlichen Weise liefern diese Bücher/Hefte eine große Sammlung von praktischen Aufgaben aus jedem Bereich und für jeden Schwierigkeitsgrad der Physik und Mathematik. Anders als in den üblichen Lehrbüchern liegt hier der Fokus auf den praktischen Übungen der zuvor in kurzer Zusammenfassung wiederholten Themen, weshalb diese Bücher auch keine Lehrbücher ersetzen, sondern eine hervorragende Ergänzung dazu darstellen - ähnlich den Tutorien im Studium. Dies gilt auch für das hier rezensierte Buch über allgemeine Topologie. Ich kann dieses Buch, wie auch alle anderen der Reihe Schaum's Outline, jedem Studenten der Physik und Mathematik nur wärmstens empfehlen, um sich auf die entsprechenden Prüfungen vorzubereiten, denn Theorie ist schön und gut, aber für das wirkliche Verständnis der Gleichungen sind unzählige durchgerechnete Aufgaben die unabdingbare Voraussetzung. Dazu kommt, daß alle Bücher dieser Reihe im Vergleich zu den meist teuren Lehrbüchern zu erschwinglichen Preisen zu haben sind. Deshalb gebe ich diesem und allen anderen Büchern dieser Reihe 5 Sterne !

Am studying Topology as part of my mathematics degree and this book has made that a little easier. With lots of examples and explanations with each step explained it is easy to follow and understand. Have been using is more or less every day since buying it! Would (and have) recommended this to fellow course mates and others wanting to study Topology.