For many people there is life after 40; for some mathematicians there is algebra after Galois theory. The objective ofthis book is to prove the latter thesis. It is written primarily for students who have assimilated substantial portions of a standard first year graduate algebra textbook, and who have enjoyed the experience. The material that is presented here should not be fatal if it is swallowed by persons who are not members of that group. The objects of our attention in this book are associative algebras, mostly the ones that are finite dimensional over a field. This subject is ideal for...