Good book on abstract algebra I am an undergraduate student - just started to learn about group theory, ring theory and module theory. I am self studying from the book &quot;Basic Abstract Algebra&quot; by P.B.Bhattacharya, S.K.Jain, S.R.Nagpaul. Prof said that this book is written in an uncomplicated manner but i found the statements in it with more hints rather than complete proofs. What are your thoughts about this book? Our prof also suggested Abstract Algebra by Dummit and Foote - but i found it quite bulky. Please enlighten me with your thoughts as i am very much lost - which one to follow. Thank you.
Dummit and Foote. Its bulkiness means it'll serve you well for years. It's detailed, patient, logical, and comprehensive. Some of its later material isn't great in my opinion, like its treatment of homological algebra with basically no motivation or punchline, but few people make it there anyway. Its character theory is actually quite good too.
Lang's Algebra is a classic,  or near classic,  and there's no reason not to start consulting it, even though it is advanced.
Meanwhile,  to address the question,  Fraleigh's A First Course in Abstract Algebra would surely not have been chosen by professor John Stallings, who was surely one of the best group theorists of his generation,  as the textbook for his undergrad course at Berkeley,  if it were anything but a lovely introduction to the subject.   And that's exactly what I found it to be.