A decomposition is given of the S-type of the classifying spaces of the classical groups. This decomposition is in terms of Thom spaces and by means of it cobordism groups are embedded into the stable homotopy of classifying spaces. This is used to show that each of the classical cobordism theories, and also complex K-theory, is obtainable as a localization of the stable homotopy ring of a classifying space.

These notes contain the first complete treatment of cobordism, a topic that has become increasingly important in the past ten years. The subject is fully developed and the latest theories are treated. Originally published in 1968. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

In the first of these three papers we discuss the problem of enumerating the bordism classes which can be carried on a fixed manifold by means of varying its normal structure. The main application is to Sp structures on Alexander's family of manifolds, and is presented in the third paper. The middle paper collects together the requisite definitions and calculations.