Holomorphic vector bundles have become objects of interest not only to algebraic and differential geometers and complex analysts but also to low dimensional topologists and mathematical physicists working on gauge theory. This book, which grew out of the author's lectures and seminars in Berkeley and Japan, is written for researchers and graduate students in these various fields of mathematics. Originally published in 1987. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Discusses the differential geometric aspects of complex manifolds. This work contains standard materials from general topology, differentiable manifolds, and basic Riemannian geometry. It discusses complex manifolds and analytic varieties, sheaves and holomorphic vector bundles. It also gives a brief account of the surface classification theory.

The purpose of this book is to present the available (sometimes only partial) solutions to the two fundamental problems: the existence problem and the classification problem for holomorphic structures in a given topological vector bundle over a compact complex surface. Special features of the nonalgebraic surfaces case, like irreducible vector bundles and stability with respect to a Gauduchon metric, are considered. The reader requires a grounding in geometry at graduate student level. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in complex, algebraic and differential geometry.

A brand new appendix by Oscar Garcia-Prada graces this third edition of a classic work. In developing the tools necessary for the study of complex manifolds, this comprehensive, well-organized treatment presents in its opening chapters a detailed survey of recent progress in four areas: geometry (manifolds with vector bundles), algebraic topology, differential geometry, and partial differential equations. Wells’s superb analysis also gives details of the Hodge-Riemann bilinear relations on Kahler manifolds, Griffiths's period mapping, quadratic transformations, and Kodaira's vanishing and embedding theorems. Oscar Garcia-Prada’s appendix gives an overview of the developments in the field during the decades since the book appeared.

The book is devoted to the basic notions of vector bundles and their applications. The focus of attention is towards explaining the most important notions and geometric constructions connected with the theory of vector bundles. Theorems are not always formulated in maximal generality but rather in such a way that the geometric nature of the objects comes to the fore. Whenever possible examples are given to illustrate the role of vector bundles. Audience: With numerous illustrations and applications to various problems in mathematics and the sciences, the book will be of interest to a range of graduate students from pure and applied mathematics.

The description for this book, Lectures on Vector Bundles over Riemann Surfaces. (MN-6), Volume 6, will be forthcoming.