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CHOICE Review

An excellent introduction to the mathematical theory of probability. Beaumont says in the preface that it is ``probability with statistics in mind,'' and he has achieved this goal very well. The book covers all the standard material on axioms of probability, random variables, discrete and continuous distributions, functions of random variables, moment generating functions, etc., and wherever possible gives specific examples of how these concepts are useful in statistical inference. Two special features are the problems interspersed in the text (with solutions at chapter ends) and the chapter on generating random variables-an essential part of simulation techniques. The book has the lucid style one would have expected from the author of Introductory Applied Probability (1983). It would be a very good choice as a textbook for a first course in mathematical probability for students with a background of calculus, and would be a good reference book for both undergraduates and graduates taking courses in mathematical statistics.-R. Bharath, Northern Michigan University