The present book was conceived as an introduction for the user of universal algebra, rather than a handbook for the specialist, but when the first edition appeared in 1965, there were practically no other books entir~ly devoted to the subject, whether introductory or specialized. Today the specialist in the field is well provided for, but there is still a demand for an introduction to the subject to suit the user, and this seemed to justify a reissue of the book. Naturally some changes have had to be made; in particular, I have corrected all errors that have been brought to my notice. Besides errors, some obscurities in the text have been removed and the references brought up to date. I should like to express my thanks to a number of correspondents for their help, in particular C. G. d''Ambly, W. Felscher, P. Goralcik, P. J. Higgins, H.-J. Hoehnke, J. R. Isbell, A. H. Kruse, E. J. Peake, D. Suter, J. S. Wilson. But lowe a special debt to G. M. Bergman, who has provided me with extensivecomments. particularly on Chapter VII and the supplementary chapters. I have also con sulted reviews of the first edition, as well as the Italian and Russian translations.
