Introduction to 3-Manifolds

The exposition begins
with the definition of a manifold, explores possible additional
structures on manifolds, discusses the classification of surfaces,
introduces key foundational results for 3-manifolds, and provides an
overview of knot theory. It then continues with more specialized topics
by briefly considering triangulations of 3-manifolds, normal surface
theory, and Heegaard splittings. The book finishes with a discussion of
topics relevant to viewing 3-manifolds via the curve complex.

With
about 250 figures and more than 200 exercises, this book can serve as
an excellent overview and starting point for the study of 3-manifolds.