Braids and braid groups form central objects in knot theory and three-dimensional topology. They have also been at the heart of important mathematical developments over the last two decades. This introductory text presents the theory of braids and braid groups to the reader along with the recent developments in this field. Developments related to the linearity and orderability of braid groups are carefully presented. This well-written text is ideal for graduate students and all mathematicians with an interest in braids and braid groups.

Dr. Christian Kassel is the director of CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in France), was the director of l'Institut de Recherche Mathematique Avancee from 2000 to 2004, and is an editor for the Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra. Kassel has numerous publications, including the book Quantum Groups in the Springer Gradate Texts in Mathematics series.

Dr. Vladimir Turaev was also a professor at the CNRS and is currently at Indiana University in the Department of Mathematics.