Book excerpt: Every mathematician should be acquainted with the basic facts about the geometry of surfaces, of two-dimensional manifolds. The theory of three-dimensional manifolds is much more difficult and still only partly understood, although there is ample evidence that the theory of three-dimensional manifolds is one of the most beautiful in the whole of mathematics. This excellent introductory work makes this mathematical wonderland remained rather inaccessible to non-specialists. The author is both a leading researcher, with a formidable geometric intuition, and a gifted expositor. His vivid descriptions of what it might be like to live in this or that three-dimensional manifold bring the subject to life. Like Poincaré, he appeals to intuition, but his enthusiasm is infectious and should make many converts for this kind of mathematics. There are good pictures, plenty of exercises and problems, and the reader will find a selection of topics which are not found in the standard repertoire. This book contains a great deal of interesting mathematics.