The present book was conceived as an introduction for the user of
universal algebra, rather than a handbook for the specialist, but when
the first edition appeared in 1965, there were practically no other
books entir ly devoted to the subject, whether introductory or
specialized. Today the specialist in the field is well provided for, but
there is still a demand for an introduction to the subject to suit the
user, and this seemed to justify a reissue of the book. Naturally some
changes have had to be made; in particular, I have corrected all errors
that have been brought to my notice. Besides errors, some obscurities in
the text have been removed and the references brought up to date. I
should like to express my thanks to a number of correspondents for their
help, in particular C. G. d'Ambly, W. Felscher, P. Goralcik, P. J.
Higgins, H.-J. Hoehnke, J. R. Isbell, A. H. Kruse, E. J. Peake, D.
Suter, J. S. Wilson. But lowe a special debt to G. M. Bergman, who has
provided me with extensive comments. particularly on Chapter VII and the
supplementary chapters. I have also con- sulted reviews of the first
edition, as well as the Italian and Russian translations.