This textbook by Patty (Virginia Polytechnic U.) is intended for use in one- or two-semester introductory courses on topology at the undergraduate and beginning graduate levels. The first seven chapters cover the usual topics of point-set or general topology, including topological spaces, new spaces from old ones, connectedness, the separation and countability axioms, and metrizability and paracompactness, as well as special topics such as contraction mapping in metric spaces, normed linear spaces, the Fréchet derivative, manifolds, fractals, compactifications, the Alexander subbase, and the Tychonoff theorems. The final chapters were written to provide an introduction and motivation for the study of algebraic topology, with an emphasis on geometric applications. The necessary set theory background is presented in appendices. Knowledge of elementary group theory is a prerequisite for the final two chapters. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)