Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups
| Author | Joan Birman |
|---|---|
| Subject | Braid groups in low-dimensional topology |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Publication date | 1974 |
| ISBN | 978-0-691-08149-6 |
Braids, Links, and Mapping Class Groups is a mathematical monograph on braid groups and their applications in low-dimensional topology. It was written by Joan Birman, and published in 1974 by the Princeton University Press and University of Tokyo Press, as volume 82 of the book series Annals of Mathematics Studies.
Although braid groups had been introduced in 1891 by Adolf Hurwitz and formalized in 1925 by Emil Artin, this was the first book devoted to them. It has been described as a "seminal work", one that "laid the foundations for several new subfields in topology".