The second volume of Shafarevich's introductory book on algebraic varieties and complex manifolds. As with Volume 1, the author has revised the text and added new material, e.g. as a section on real algebraic curves. Although the material is more advanced than in Volume 1 the algebraic apparatus is kept to a minimum, making the book accessible to non-specialists. It can be read independently of Volume 1 and is suitable for beginning graduate students in mathematics as well as those in theoretical physics.