Combinatorics and Commutative Algebra

Contents.- Preface to the Second Edition.- Preface to the First Edition.- Notation.- Background: Combinatorics.- Commutative algebra and homological algebra.- Topology.- Chapter I: Nonnegative Integral Solutions to Linear Equations: Integer stochastic matrices (magic squares).- Graded algebras and modules.- Elementary aspects of N-solutions to linear equations.- Integer stochastic matrices again.- Dimension, depth, and Cohen-Macaulay modules.- Local cohomology.- Local cohomology of the modules M phi,alpha.- Reciprocity.- Reciprocity for integer stochastic matrices.- Rational points in integer polytopes.- Free resolutions.- Duality and canonical modules.- A final look at linear equations.- Chapter II: The Face Ring of a Simplicial Complex: Elementary properties of the face ring.- f-vectors and h-vectors of complexes and multicomplexes.- Cohen-Macaulay complexes and the Upper Bound Conjecture.- Homological properties of face rings.- Gorenstein face rings.- Gorenstein Hilbert Functions.- Canonical modules of face rings.- Buchsbaum complexes.- Chapter III: Further Aspects of Face Rings: Simplicial polytopes, toric varieties, and the g-theorem.- Shellable simplicial complexes.- Matroid complexes, level complexes, and doubly Cohen-Macaulay complexes.- Balances complexes, order complexes, and flag complexes.- Splines.- Algebras with straightening law and simplical posets.- Relative simplical complexes.- Group actions.- Subcomplexes.- Subdivisions.- Problems on Simplicial Complexes and their Face Rings.- Bibliography.- Index.

Richard P. Stanley is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is universally recognized as a leading expert in the field of combinatorics and its applications to a variety of other mathematical disciplines. Among Stanley's many distinctions are membership in the National Academy of Sciences (elected in 1995), the 2001 Leroy P. Steele Prize for mathematical exposition and the 2003 Schock Prize.