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First off, Eisenbud means for his book on commutative algebra to indicate many of the geometric notions that have helped shape the subject. He does this admirably--I found that in the first few chapters you can really learn some algebraic geometry. He also means for the course to be sufficient for reading through Robin Hartshorne's Algebraic Geometry. In fact, he has picked out the commutative algebra results Hartshorne uses (without proof) and made sure to give complete proofs of them in his book. This being said, Eisenbud's book is also good for just plain learning some commutative algebra. His exposition flows very well and is extremely clear. He gives quite a few examples in text, and more are scattered in the exercises. Most of the exercises are not too difficult, but he has a few trickier ones (they are usually marked and include hints in the back). The book is huge, and has a huge breadth of scope (localisation, completions, homological methods, differentials, etc. are all in there). So, it also makes a useful reference. Plus, Eisenbud's point of view (a geometric one) allows the reader with a passing acquaintance with algebraic geometry to gain some insight into the constructions and methods of commutative algebra.
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