The invention of ideals by Dedekind in the 1870s was well ahead of its time, and proved to be the genesis of what today we would call algebraic number theory. His memoir "Sur la Theorie des Nombres Entiers Algebriques" first appeared in installments in the Bulletin des sciences mathematiques in 1877. This book is a translation of that work by John Stillwell, who adds a detailed introduction giving historical background and who outlines the mathematical obstructions that Dedekind was striving to overcome. Dedekind's memoir offers a candid account of the development of an elegant theory and provides blow by blow comments regarding the many difficulties encountered en route. This book is a must for all number theorists.
Reviews
"The book has historical interest in providing a very clear glimpse of the origins of modern algebra and algebraic number theory, but it also has considerable mathematical interest. It is truly astonishing that a text written one hundred and twenty years ago, well before modern algebraic terminology and concepts were introduced and accepted, can provide a plausible introduction to algebraic number theory for a student today." Mathematical Reviews Clippings 98h
