Book excerpt: The first edition of this book presented the theory of linear algebraic groups over an algebraically closed field. The second edition, thoroughly revised and expanded, extends the theory over arbitrary fields, which are not necessarily algebraically closed. It thus represents a higher aim. As in the first edition, the book includes a self-contained treatment of the prerequisites from algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, as well as basic results on reductive groups. As a result, the first part of the book can well serve as a text for an introductory graduate course on linear algebraic groups.