STANLEY'S INVARIANT THEORY SURVEY.

The author comments on Richard P. Stanley's article "Invariants of finite groups and their applications to combinatorics." The author discusses the proximity and power of commutative algebra techniques in examining objects associated with finite group actions. He cites Stanley's emphasis on Cohen-Macaulay, Daniel Gorenstein, and complete intersection conditions in commutative algebra, and his impact on other mathematicians in such subjects as algebraic topology and commutative algebra.