This up-to-date introductory treatment employs category theory to explore the theory of structures. Its unique approach stresses concrete categories and presents a systematic view of factorization structures, offering a unifying perspective on earlier work and summarizing recent developments. Numerous examples, ranging from general to specific, illuminate the text. 1990 edition, updated 2004.

Author Biography

Jiri Adamek is affiliated with Prague's Charles University and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Horst Herrlich is affiliated with the Department of Mathematics at the University of Bremen, Germany. George E. Strecker is a faculty member of the Department of Mathematics at Kansas State University.