The companion title, Linear Algebra, has sold over 8,000 copies
The writing style is very accessible
The material can be covered easily in a one-year or one-term course
Includes Noah Snyder's proof of the Mason-Stothers polynomial abc theorem
New material included on product structure for matrices including descriptions of the conjugation representation of the diagonal group
From the reviews of the third edition:
As is very typical for Professor Lang's self demand and style of publishing, he has tried to both improve and up-date his already well-established text. ... Numerous examples and exercises accompany this now already classic primer of modern algebra, which as usual, reflects the author's great individuality just as much as his unrivalled didactic mastery and his care for profound mathematical education at any level. ... The present textbook ... will remain one of the great standard introductions to the subject for beginners. (Werner Kleinert, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1063, 2005)