Topology of algebraic curves: an approach via dessins d'enfants

The book summarizes the state and new results on the topology of trigonal curves in geometrically ruled surfaces. Emphasis is placed upon various applications of the theory to related areas, most notably singularplane curves of small degree, elliptic surfaces, and Lefschetz fibrations (both complex and real), and Hurwitz equivalence of braid monodromy factorizations. The monograph conveys recent knowledge about related objects and is of interest to researchers and graduate students in the fields of topology and of complex and real algebraic varieties.