'… by bringing together a number of very effective techniques, and by presenting a mass of specific evidence, Breuer has done the mathematical community a considerable service … the presentation of the material is excellent, with attractive layout … a valuable addition to the literature, which should be essential reading for anyone interested in the connections between Riemann surfaces and finite groups.' G. Jones, Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society

• Preface; Notation; 1. Compact Riemann surfaces; 2. Group characters; 3. Automorphisms of compact Riemann surfaces; 4. Generation of groups; 5. Classification for small genus; 6. Classification for fixed group: real characters; 7. Classification for fixed group: nonreal irrationalities; Appendix A. Abelian inariants; Appendix B. Irreducible characters; Appendix C. Maillet's determinant; Bibliography; Index.