From Aluffi's text: This text presents an introduction to algebra suitable for upper-level undergraduate or beginning graduate courses. In this text, categori

From Aluffi's text: This text presents an introduction to algebra suitable for upper-level undergraduate or beginning graduate courses. In this text, categories are introduced around p. 20, after a scant reminder of the basic language of naive set theory, for the main purpose of providing a context for universal properties. These are in turn evoked constantly as basic definitions are introduced. The word ‘universal’ appears at least 100 times in the first three chapters. That means Pinter's book is more elementary.