Decompositions of Manifolds (AMS Chelsea Publishing)

Decomposition theory studies decompositions, or partitions, of manifolds into simple pieces, usually cell-like sets. Since its inception in 1929, the subject has become an important tool in geometric topology. The main goal of the book is to help students interested in geometric topology to bridge the gap between entry-level graduate courses and research at the frontier as well as to demonstrate interrelations of decomposition theory with other parts of geometric topology. With numerous exercises and problems, many of them quite challenging, the book continues to be strongly recommended to everyone who is interested in this subject. The book also contains an extensive bibliography and a useful index of key words, so it can also serve as a reference to a specialist.