Finite Generalized Quadrangles

Book excerpt: Generalized quadrangles (GQ) were formally introduced by J. Tits in 1959 to describe geometric properties of simple groups of Lie type of rank 2. The first edition of Finite Generalized Quadrangles (FGQ) quickly became the standard reference for finite GQ. The second edition is essentially a reprint of the first edition. It is a careful rendering into LaTeX of the original, along with an appendix that brings to the attention of the reader those major new results pertaining to GQ, especially in those areas where the authors of this work have made a contribution. The first edition has been out of print for many years. The new edition makes available again this classical reference in the rapidly increasing field of finite geometries.