Download or read book Birational Geometry of Algebraic Varieties written by Janos Kollár and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-02-04 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the major discoveries of the past two decades in algebraic geometry is the realization that the theory of minimal models of surfaces can be generalized to higher dimensional varieties. This generalization, called the minimal model program, or Mori's program, has developed into a powerful tool with applications to diverse questions in algebraic geometry and beyond. This book provides the first comprehensive introduction to the circle of ideas developed around the program, the prerequisites being only a basic knowledge of algebraic geometry. It will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers working in algebraic geometry and related fields.