I'm not qualified to say much about this book, but I think it's excellent and thought it deserved a higher amazon rating. Besides being remarkably clear (much like the cold air of Helgason's home country of Iceland), I think it's a great, wonderful bridge between the original works in Lie theory and the more basic textbook treatments of DG and Lie theory out there (Warner, do Carmo, Lee, ...), many of which are quite good. It is filled with references and citations to original papers (some by the author) and is perhaps more connected to the historical genesis of the subject than other textbooks.
"A great book... a necessary item in any mathematical library." -S.S. Chern

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer—no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
OK
Differential Geometry, Lie Groups and Symmetric Spaces: 34 Hardcover – 30 June 2001
by
Sigurdur Helgason
(Author)
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$154.95","priceAmount":154.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"154","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"nXs7NnaiT06wfitqYqBzDqFJHLZboUaoDn3%2Bu9mOp62c79fk%2BaYOLc9jCDP1BcoxyOr0o7rlOddxkXaD58I2WviI2YkjNRImuHV3T1gWoWZ5iKvj43bptX8rIALZEhgTsXPoOGld51fjB4WhXOAqaDhAq4qrzFq0%2BQcdiTTucl4fP2NAq8MH4s9McKUXKc4N","locale":"en-AU","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}
Purchase options and add-ons
From reviews for the First Edition: 'A great book...a necessary item in any mathematical library' - S. S. Chern. The study of homogeneous spaces provides excellent insights into both differential geometry and Lie groups. In geometry, for instance, general theorems and properties will also hold for homogeneous spaces, and will usually be easier to understand and to prove in this setting. For Lie groups, a significant amount of analysis either begins with or reduces to analysis on homogeneous spaces, frequently on symmetric spaces. For many years and for many mathematicians, Sigurdur Helgason's classic ""Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces"" has been - and continues to be - the standard source for this material. Helgason begins with a concise, self-contained introduction to differential geometry. He then introduces Lie groups and Lie algebras, including important results on their structure.This sets the stage for the introduction and study of symmetric spaces, which form the central part of the book. The text concludes with the classification of symmetric spaces by means of the Killing-Cartan classification of simple Lie algebras over $\mathbf{C}$ and Cartan's classification of simple Lie algebras over $\mathbf{R}$. The excellent exposition is supplemented by extensive collections of useful exercises at the end of each chapter. All the problems have either solutions or substantial hints, found at the back of the book. For this latest edition, Helgason has made corrections and added helpful notes and useful references. The sequels to the present book are published in the ""AMS' Mathematical Surveys and Monographs Series"": ""Groups and Geometric Analysis, Volume 83"", and ""Geometric Analysis on Symmetric Spaces, Volume 39"". Sigurdur Helgason was awarded the Steele Prize for Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces and Groups and Geometric Analysis.
- ISBN-100821828487
- ISBN-13978-0821828489
- PublisherAmerican Mathematical Society
- Publication date30 June 2001
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions19.05 x 3.81 x 26.67 cm
- Print length641 pages
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start againPage 1 of 1
Product description
Review
This book has been famous for many years and used by several generations of readers. It is important that the book has again become available for a general audience." - European Mathematical Society Newsletter
"One of the most important and excellent textbooks and a reference work about contemporary differential geometry …" - Zentralblatt MATH
"Important improvements in the new edition of S. Helgason's book will turn it into a desk book for many following generations." - Mathematica Bohemica
From reviews for the First Edition:
"A great book … a necessary item in any mathematical library." - S. S. Chern, University of California
"Written with unmatched lucidity, systematically, carefully, beautifully." - S. Bochner, Princeton University
"Helgason's monograph is a beautifully done piece of work and should be extremely useful for several years to come, both in teaching and in research." - D. Spencer, Princeton University
"A brilliant book: rigorous, tightly organized, and covering a vast amount of good mathematics." - Barrett O'Neill, University of California
"Renders a great service in permitting the non-specialist, with a minimum knowledge of differential geometry and Lie groups, an initiation to the theory of symmetrical spaces." - H. Cartan, Secretariat Mathématique, Paris
"The mathematical community has long been in need of a book on symmetric spaces. S. Helgason has admirably satisfied this need with his book, Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces. It is a remarkably well-written book … a masterpiece of concise, lucid mathematical exposition … it might be used as a textbook for “how to write mathematics”."- Louis Auslander
"[The author] will earn the gratitude of many generations of mathematicians for this skillful, tasteful, and highly efficient presentation. It will surely become a classic." - G. D. Mostow, Yale University
"One of the most important and excellent textbooks and a reference work about contemporary differential geometry …" - Zentralblatt MATH
"Important improvements in the new edition of S. Helgason's book will turn it into a desk book for many following generations." - Mathematica Bohemica
From reviews for the First Edition:
"A great book … a necessary item in any mathematical library." - S. S. Chern, University of California
"Written with unmatched lucidity, systematically, carefully, beautifully." - S. Bochner, Princeton University
"Helgason's monograph is a beautifully done piece of work and should be extremely useful for several years to come, both in teaching and in research." - D. Spencer, Princeton University
"A brilliant book: rigorous, tightly organized, and covering a vast amount of good mathematics." - Barrett O'Neill, University of California
"Renders a great service in permitting the non-specialist, with a minimum knowledge of differential geometry and Lie groups, an initiation to the theory of symmetrical spaces." - H. Cartan, Secretariat Mathématique, Paris
"The mathematical community has long been in need of a book on symmetric spaces. S. Helgason has admirably satisfied this need with his book, Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces. It is a remarkably well-written book … a masterpiece of concise, lucid mathematical exposition … it might be used as a textbook for “how to write mathematics”."- Louis Auslander
"[The author] will earn the gratitude of many generations of mathematicians for this skillful, tasteful, and highly efficient presentation. It will surely become a classic." - G. D. Mostow, Yale University
Review
This book has been famous for many years and used by several generations of readers. It is important that the book has again become available for a general audience." - European Mathematical Society Newsletter
"One of the most important and excellent textbooks and a reference work about contemporary differential geometry …" - Zentralblatt MATH
"Important improvements in the new edition of S. Helgason's book will turn it into a desk book for many following generations." - Mathematica Bohemica
From reviews for the First Edition:
"A great book … a necessary item in any mathematical library." - S. S. Chern, University of California
"Written with unmatched lucidity, systematically, carefully, beautifully." - S. Bochner, Princeton University
"Helgason's monograph is a beautifully done piece of work and should be extremely useful for several years to come, both in teaching and in research." - D. Spencer, Princeton University
"A brilliant book: rigorous, tightly organized, and covering a vast amount of good mathematics." - Barrett O'Neill, University of California
"Renders a great service in permitting the non-specialist, with a minimum knowledge of differential geometry and Lie groups, an initiation to the theory of symmetrical spaces." - H. Cartan, Secretariat Mathématique, Paris
"The mathematical community has long been in need of a book on symmetric spaces. S. Helgason has admirably satisfied this need with his book, Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces. It is a remarkably well-written book … a masterpiece of concise, lucid mathematical exposition … it might be used as a textbook for “how to write mathematics”."- Louis Auslander
"[The author] will earn the gratitude of many generations of mathematicians for this skillful, tasteful, and highly efficient presentation. It will surely become a classic." - G. D. Mostow, Yale University
"One of the most important and excellent textbooks and a reference work about contemporary differential geometry …" - Zentralblatt MATH
"Important improvements in the new edition of S. Helgason's book will turn it into a desk book for many following generations." - Mathematica Bohemica
From reviews for the First Edition:
"A great book … a necessary item in any mathematical library." - S. S. Chern, University of California
"Written with unmatched lucidity, systematically, carefully, beautifully." - S. Bochner, Princeton University
"Helgason's monograph is a beautifully done piece of work and should be extremely useful for several years to come, both in teaching and in research." - D. Spencer, Princeton University
"A brilliant book: rigorous, tightly organized, and covering a vast amount of good mathematics." - Barrett O'Neill, University of California
"Renders a great service in permitting the non-specialist, with a minimum knowledge of differential geometry and Lie groups, an initiation to the theory of symmetrical spaces." - H. Cartan, Secretariat Mathématique, Paris
"The mathematical community has long been in need of a book on symmetric spaces. S. Helgason has admirably satisfied this need with his book, Differential Geometry and Symmetric Spaces. It is a remarkably well-written book … a masterpiece of concise, lucid mathematical exposition … it might be used as a textbook for “how to write mathematics”."- Louis Auslander
"[The author] will earn the gratitude of many generations of mathematicians for this skillful, tasteful, and highly efficient presentation. It will surely become a classic." - G. D. Mostow, Yale University
About the Author
Sigurdur Helgason is at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. He was awarded the Steele Prize for Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces and Groups and Geometric Analysis.
Product details
- Publisher : American Mathematical Society (30 June 2001)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 641 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0821828487
- ISBN-13 : 978-0821828489
- Dimensions : 19.05 x 3.81 x 26.67 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 990,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 141 in Differential Geometry (Books)
- 259 in Geometry Textbooks
- 1,710 in Mathematical Analysis (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs, and more
Customer reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
10 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews from other countries

Physics Student
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very confusing to someone new to the material
Reviewed in the United States on 1 December 2011Verified Purchase
Previous reviewers have praised this book for its precision and logical coherence, and these are accurate assessments, but not the whole story. When using this book for a course in Lie Groups, taught by Professor Helgason himself, I found this book severely lacking. Take for example Chapter I, which covers some basic differential geometry. The definition of a tangent vector is the standard algebraic definition (as derivations of functions on the manifold). This in itself is fine, but figuring out why such a strange looking object actually corresponds to the intuitive notion of a tangent vector is not explained. This caused me a great deal of confusion. Another example is that the section on affine connections is literally two pages long and, unsurprisingly given its brevity, devoid of insight. For comparison, in a differential geometry class I took, we spent a week or so on affine connections. Another telling example is that most of the exercises have solutions in the back, but even after reading the "solution," it often took me more than a few hours to solve a problem.
As one reviewer said, this is a graduate text, so a certain amount of mathematical maturity and background is expected. My complaint is that if you have the maturity and background to reasonably understand the text, then you probably didn't need to read the text in the first place. To someone who already knows differential geometry and wants to get another perspective, or needs to jog his memory, I am sure Helgason's treatment is fine, though.
Overall, I found the book very confusing, since it is very terse, does not give examples or even explain the intuition or context behind a slew of definitions and theorems, and assumes what I think is an unreasonable amount of background and mathematical maturity. Also, I found many of the proofs hard to follow. To those not already comfortable with the material, I suggest turning elsewhere. In particular, I have found Warner Foundations of Differentiable Manifolds and Lie Groups very good for understanding much of the material in Helgason on Lie Groups and manifolds.
(As a disclaimer, I have only read chapters I and II since that is what we covered, but I suspect the style does not differ significantly between other parts of the book.)
As one reviewer said, this is a graduate text, so a certain amount of mathematical maturity and background is expected. My complaint is that if you have the maturity and background to reasonably understand the text, then you probably didn't need to read the text in the first place. To someone who already knows differential geometry and wants to get another perspective, or needs to jog his memory, I am sure Helgason's treatment is fine, though.
Overall, I found the book very confusing, since it is very terse, does not give examples or even explain the intuition or context behind a slew of definitions and theorems, and assumes what I think is an unreasonable amount of background and mathematical maturity. Also, I found many of the proofs hard to follow. To those not already comfortable with the material, I suggest turning elsewhere. In particular, I have found Warner Foundations of Differentiable Manifolds and Lie Groups very good for understanding much of the material in Helgason on Lie Groups and manifolds.
(As a disclaimer, I have only read chapters I and II since that is what we covered, but I suspect the style does not differ significantly between other parts of the book.)
8 people found this helpful
Report

Roger Bagula
2.0 out of 5 stars
Semisimple( Simple)->Bad
Reviewed in the United States on 13 May 2007Verified Purchase
I certainly hate being cheated.
This book is advance as a textbook for a course in Lie Algebra.
I can picture the man who wrote this book lecturing to the future great minds of MIT
and putting them to sleep.
The fellow is the worst sort of pedant.
On page one he mentions one of the more difficult theorems in modern Mathematics,
De Rham's theorem, then drops it like it was too hot to handle.
On page three he introduces Hausdorff's difficult separation axiom
without any explanation at all.
Throughout the book he beats you over the head with terms like "module"
without adequate definition or explanation of terms.
He literally expects you to have learned
what he is supposed to be teaching
before you take his course?
In short , anyone taking the course with this book as a text book
will be hunting for a good text on Lie Algebra Semi-Simple Lie Algebras and Their Representations (Dover Books on Mathematics) Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Some of Their Applications
and differential geometry,
since this one is entirely unreadable,
even by those who know and love the subjects.
This book is advance as a textbook for a course in Lie Algebra.
I can picture the man who wrote this book lecturing to the future great minds of MIT
and putting them to sleep.
The fellow is the worst sort of pedant.
On page one he mentions one of the more difficult theorems in modern Mathematics,
De Rham's theorem, then drops it like it was too hot to handle.
On page three he introduces Hausdorff's difficult separation axiom
without any explanation at all.
Throughout the book he beats you over the head with terms like "module"
without adequate definition or explanation of terms.
He literally expects you to have learned
what he is supposed to be teaching
before you take his course?
In short , anyone taking the course with this book as a text book
will be hunting for a good text on Lie Algebra Semi-Simple Lie Algebras and Their Representations (Dover Books on Mathematics) Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Some of Their Applications
and differential geometry,
since this one is entirely unreadable,
even by those who know and love the subjects.
8 people found this helpful
Report