An introduction to abstract algebraic geometry, with the only prerequisites being results from commutative algebra, which are stated as needed, and some elementary topology. More than 400 exercises distributed throughout the book offer specific examples as well as more specialised topics not treated in the main text, while three appendices present brief accounts of some areas of current research. This book can thus be used as textbook for an introductory course in algebraic geometry following a basic graduate course in algebra. Robin Hartshorne studied algebraic geometry with Oscar Zariski and David Mumford at Harvard, and with J.-P. Serre and A. Grothendieck in Paris. He is the author of "Residues and Duality", "Foundations of Projective Geometry", "Ample Subvarieties of Algebraic Varieties", and numerous research titles.

From the reviews: "Although several textbooks on modern algebraic geometry have been published in the meantime, Mumford's "Volume I" is, together with its predecessor the red book of varieties and schemes, now as before one of the most excellent and profound primers of modern algebraic geometry. Both books are just true classics!" Zentralblatt

This book contains several fundamental ideas that are revived time after time in different guises, providing a better understanding of algebraic geometric phenomena. It shows how the field is enriched with loans from analysis and topology and from commutative algebra and homological algebra.

Offers information on various technical tools, from jet schemes and derived categories to algebraic stacks. This book delves into the geometry of various moduli spaces, including those of stable curves, stable maps, coherent sheaves, and abelian varieties. It describes various advances in higher-dimensional bi rational geometry.

"This book succeeds brilliantly by concentrating on a number of core topics...and by treating them in a hugely rich and varied way. The author ensures that the reader will learn a large amount of classical material and perhaps more importantly, will also learn that there is no one approach to the subject. The essence lies in the range and interplay of possible approaches. The author is to be congratulated on a work of deep and enthusiastic scholarship." --MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS