Permutation Groups (Graduate Texts in Mathematics, 163)

Following the basic ideas, standard constructions and important examples in the theory of permutation groups, the book goes on to develop the combinatorial and group theoretic structure of primitive groups leading to the proof of the pivotal ONan-Scott Theorem which links finite primitive groups with finite simple groups. Special topics covered include the Mathieu groups, multiply transitive groups, and recent work on the subgroups of the infinite symmetric groups. With its many exercises and detailed references to the current literature, this text can serve as an introduction to permutation groups in a course at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level, as well as for self-study.