Introduction to Abstract Algebra

The first time I took Abstract Algebra. I used Herstein's text the most cryptic text I have yet to use. I read the book cover to cover several times and still lacked a firm grasp on the material. Nicholson's book takes the time to present many examples and to thoroughly cover each topic. The examples of groups most frequently discussed are all placed at the beginning allowing the reader to have many examples to go on. While the book is not a terse reference it is a great introduction to the world of abstract algebra. It gives the undergraduate a chance to make that large step to this higher level of abstraction. However, the exercises are a little easy and the counterside to the above is that it is quite long.