The crucial significance of symmetry to the development of group theory and in the fields of physics and chemistry cannot be overstated, and this well-organized volume provides an excellent introduction to the topic. The text develops the elementary ideas of both group theory and representation theory in a progressive and thorough fashion, leading students to a point from which they can proceed easily to more elaborate applications. The finite groups describing the symmetry of regular polyhedral and of repeating patterns are emphasized, and geometric illustrations of all main processes appear here — including more than 100 fully worked examples. Designed to be read at a variety of levels and to allow students to focus on any of the main fields of application, this volume is geared toward advanced undergraduate and graduate physics and chemistry students with the requisite mathematical background.