An Introduction to the Theory of Point Processes, Vol. I: Elementary Theory and Methods

In terms of readability, I found the text very easy and enjoyable to read. To quote the authors from the Preface, “You have no doubt noticed that this book doesn’t read like most other texts. We hope that our approach will encourage students to read the book. On the other hand, students who plan to just skim the book or hope to pick out the important concepts and de nitions because they expect to  nd them in little boxes may  nd the book frustrating. This is a book that needs to be read. ” I would concur wholeheartedly. There are no highlights, no offsets, no de nitions, and no boxed formulas. Instead, the authors have embedded information in the text; it is best accessed through a thorough reading. After reading the text, I think that students would want to read the text, because the authors intersperse humor throughout. For example, there is a section titled “A Picture is Worth 1 P.Z>3:09/ Words,” and another titled “Will I Snore When I’m 64? ” One cannot help but chuckle after reading them and wonder what’s coming next. I also found the settings used in examples and exercises very catchy and interesting. One that I thought was particularly interesting and unusual occurs in the simple linear regression chapter, and deals with the date of ice break-up on the Tanana River in Nenana, Alaska. Since the local community wagers on this event, exact records on the date of ice break-up exist from 1917. I salute the authors for  nding such an “oddball” illustration for regression (or, if it is made up, for having the creativity to make it up! ). Although there are no section exercises, there are many exercises (usually on the order of 30 or more) at the end of each chapter. I would have liked to see more, but these exercises will catch and hold the reader’s interest and provide a suf cient quantity for either the ambitious student or assignments. Finally, although the text is not thick enough to be relegated to the “tome” category, it is just slightly smaller than a regular sheet of paper. It falls on the borderline of what I would consider a large text. A  nal few comments are in order. I have found that in texts that make use of many colors and colored pictures, I get distracted by the visual onslaught. Because I grew up with black and white texts, I guess I am more comfortable with them. However, Intro Stats uses color very effectively. For example, the simple use of a “red” regression line in a simple linear regression scatterplot greatly enhances the interpretation of the  gure. Likewise, the many color pictures are visually pleasing and did not distract me when reading. The text’s website (http://www.aw-bc.com/info/deveaux-velleman/index. html) contains a host of materials that the instructor will  nd useful. In addition to listing what supplements are available for purchase by the student, the “Supplements for the Instructor” section includes a set of PowerPoint presentations for the entire text should one choose to forego the traditional “chalk” lecture format. The CD included with the text also contains a variety of useful material, including pdf  les of the two supplemental chapters on ANOVA and multiple regression as well as the ActivStats software. I had never used ActivStats before, but was intrigued by it after using it just a little. Having this software packaged with the text will certainly make it readily accessible to, and hence more likely to be used by, students. Many of the datasets from the text are also on the CD; however, I was dismayed that the Alaska ice break-up data was not included. Finally, I like two sections that occur in each chapter, titled “Assumptions and Conditions” and “What Can Go Wrong? ” As these titles imply, the authors go to great lengths to show the student what assumptions and conditions are necessary for each statistical technique and what can go wrong with these techniques. I like the emphasis of assumptions at this introductory level, and this aspect makes this text fairly unique in this regard. When all is said and done, I would de nitely consider this text for an introductory stat course. It not only covers the necessary topics, it also very easy and enjoyable to read. Just because students consider statistics a dull, dry, and boring subject does not mean that our texts have to perpetuate this mold!