J. Peter May

The Memoirs of the AMS is devoted to the publication of new research in all areas of pure and applied mathematics. The Memoirs is designed particularly to publish long papers of groups of cognate papers in book form, and is under the supervision of the Editorial Committee of the AMS journal Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. All papers are peer-reviewed.

This volume introduces equivariant homotopy, homology, and cohomology theory, along with various related topics in modern algebraic topology. It explains the main ideas behind some of the most striking recent advances in the subject. The book begins with a development of the equivariant algebraic topology of spaces culminating in a discussion of the Sullivan conjecture that emphasizes its relationship with classical Smith theory. It then introduces equivariant stable homotopy theory, the equivariant stable homotopy category, and the most important examples of equivariant cohomology theories. The basic machinery that is needed to make serious use of equivariant stable homotopy theory is presented next, along with discussions of the Segal conjecture and generalized Tate cohomology. Finally, the book gives an introduction to 'brave new algebra', the study of point-set level algebraic structures on spectra and its equivariant applications. Emphasis is placed on equivariant complex cobordism, and related results on that topic are presented in detail. It introduces many of the fundamental ideas and concepts of modern algebraic topology. It presents comprehensive material not found in any other book on the subject. It provides a coherent overview of many areas of current interest in algebraic topology. It surveys a great deal of material, explaining main ideas without getting bogged down in details.