Plane Algebraic Curves

From a review of the German edition: "The present book provides a completely self-contained introduction to complex plane curves from the traditional algebraic-analytic viewpoint. The arrangement of the material is of outstanding instructional skill, and the text is written in a very lucid, detailed and enlightening style ... Compared to the many other textbooks on (plane) algebraic curves, the present new one comes closest in spirit and content, to the work of E. Brieskorn and H. Knoerrer ... One could say that the book under review is a beautiful, creative and justifiable abridged version of this work, which also stresses the analytic-topological point of view ... the present book is a beautiful invitation to algebraic geometry, encouraging for beginners, and a welcome source for teachers of algebraic geometry, especially for those who want to give an introduction to the subject on the undergraduate-graduate level, to cover some not too difficult topics in substantial depth, but to do so in the shortest possible time." -- --Zentralblatt MATH