The aim of this book is to present an exposition of the theory of alge- braic numbers, excluding class-field theory and its consequences. There are many ways to develop this subject; the latest trend is to neglect the classical Dedekind theory of ideals in favour of local methods. However, for numeri- cal computations, necessary for applications of algebraic numbers to other areas of number theory, the old approach seems more suitable, although its exposition is obviously longer. On the other hand the local approach is more powerful for analytical purposes, as demonstrated in Tate's thesis....

1. People were already interested in prime numbers in ancient times, and the first result concerning the distribution of primes appears in Euclid's Elemen- ta, where we find a proof of their infinitude, now regarded as canonical. One feels that Euclid's argument has its place in The Book, often quoted by the late Paul ErdOs, where the ultimate forms of mathematical arguments are preserved. Proofs of most other results on prime number distribution seem to be still far away from their optimal form and the aim of this book is to present the development of methods with which such problems were...

The aim of this book is to present an exposition of the theory of alge- braic numbers, excluding class-field theory and its consequences. There are many ways to develop this subject; the latest trend is to neglect the classical Dedekind theory of ideals in favour of local methods. However, for numeri- cal computations, necessary for applications of algebraic numbers to other areas of number theory, the old approach seems more suitable, although its exposition is obviously longer. On the other hand the local approach is more powerful for analytical purposes, as demonstrated in Tate's thesis....

1. People were already interested in prime numbers in ancient times, and the first result concerning the distribution of primes appears in Euclid's Elemen- ta, where we find a proof of their infinitude, now regarded as canonical. One feels that Euclid's argument has its place in The Book, often quoted by the late Paul ErdOs, where the ultimate forms of mathematical arguments are preserved. Proofs of most other results on prime number distribution seem to be still far away from their optimal form and the aim of this book is to present the development of methods with which such problems were...