Originating from graduate topics courses given by the first author, this book functions as a unique text-monograph hybrid that bridges a traditional graduate course to research level representation theory.  The exposition includes an introduction to the subject, some highlights of the theory and recent results in the field, and is therefore appropriate for advanced graduate students entering the field as well as research mathematicians wishing to expand their knowledge. The mathematical background required varies from chapter to chapter, but a standard course on Lie algebras and their...