This book is a study of group theoretical properties of two dis- parate kinds, firstly finiteness conditions or generalizations of fini- teness and secondly generalizations of solubility or nilpotence. It will be particularly interesting to discuss groups which possess properties of both types. The origins of the subject may be traced back to the nineteen twenties and thirties and are associated with the names of R. Baer, S. N. Cernikov, K. A. Hirsch,...