This book grew out of a year course in representation theory of finite groups given at the University of Illinois during 1969-70. Its primary
purpose is to provide a readable account of several major applications of
representation theory to the structure of finite groups. The book should
serve well as a text for a graduate course in representation theory and be
useful for individual study by graduate students and mathematicians wish-
ing to familiarize themselves with the subject. Part A separately should be
useful as a text for a cOli"i'se in ordinary representation theory, with ap-
plications; exercises have been included in Part A to aid in this purpose.